For you qualifying ESOS businesses out there, we feel for you. First you’re told you have to complete a full audit of your sites and transport fleets by the 5th December 2015 under threat of hefty penalties up to £50,000.
Yet months later, the Environment Agency release a report to say you ‘might not’ get fined if you complete an official late notification form and submit it by the 5th December 2015 with a good reason for your tardy compliance.
But read the fine print and you’ll be advised that you may receive an enforcement notice giving your business three months to comply.
Cue a sigh of relief from over 10,000 businesses that are yet to start their ESOS assessments. But is the panic over? Do businesses actually understand what they need to submit and how much it’s going to cost them?
So here at Business Juice, we’ll give you the facts. We tell you exactly what you need to do, how to do it and when you need to do it by.
What do I need to do?
You’ve two choices at this point. Get yourself a lead assessor and crack on with your audit, most likely saving yourself some pennies in the long run as you’ll avoid the last minute rush for report completion when assessors will put up their premiums.
Or, delay the inevitable and complete an official ‘Intent to Comply’ form. You’ll need to explain your reasons for requiring an extension. We suggest you appoint an assessor before hand as the Environmental Agency will look upon your lateness more favourably if you’ve already begun the process of collating your report.
What’s the actual deadline?
The deadline is still the 5th December 2015. If you have not completed your audit by this time or submitted an ‘Intent to Comply’ form, you will be fined.
If you submit your late notification form in time, your audit deadline will be extended until 29th January 2016 (or 30 June 2016 if you’ve committed to achieving ISO 50001 certification as a form of compliance) but compliance is still mandatory.
Need free advice?
Business Juice are experts in business energy and will be happy to help you to understand your ESOS requirements with no obligation to take up our services.
Of course, we are also on hand to complete your entire audit before the deadline without overcharging you or trying to push you into putting your ESOS recommendations into place.
If you prefer, we can complete and submit your late notification form, helping your business avoid fines and penalties whilst buying you some time.
For an ESOS quote or advice, give Business Juice a call on 0800 051 5327 or email esos@businessjuice.co.uk