UK companies of a certain size need to be ESOS compliant by tomorrow – Saturday 5th December, unless they alert the Environment Agency of their late submission.
The ESOS Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme is a government initiative to encourage businesses to save energy by requiring companies to submit extensive reports on their energy usage.
Businesses qualify if they have ANY of these:
- turnover over £40m
- balance sheet over £34m
- over 250 employees
That’s news to some companies who think a low turnover or small number of employees will exempt them. It won’t.
ESOS Submission Statistics
Figures last Friday 27th November showed that only 1,682 companies out of over 10,000 had complied with the scheme.
Industry sources say that figure has risen rapidly over the last few days, but with well over half those required to participate, a high non-compliance rate would look likely.
Those not yet compliant can potentially buy a little more time by completing a late submission notification. The Environment said it would not impose financial penalties on companies if they can comply with the ESOS rules by 29 January 2016, provided that they have told officials they will miss the December 5 deadline and provided their reasons.
A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said that the team was
“busy processing notifications and supporting participants”
The Environment Agency said as of last Friday, 543 firms had notified it of their intention to miss the December 5 deadline.
Therefore it would seem a majority have still to either notify of a late submission, or submit their reports. It will be interesting to see how the statistics look next week.
Moreover, some industry experts remain concerned a large number of firms will still not make the extended ESOS deadline unless they make plans urgently to appoint an ESOS assessor and commence their collation of data.
Business Juice ESOS Services
Business Juice’s Business Surveyor service offers professional ESOS audits carried out by trained Business Surveyors; catering for businesses of all shapes, sizes and industries. Services include transport and process audits.
With the 5th December deadline rapidly approaching, their team of energy experts can help and advise on the requirements of the late notification form and help businesses to avoid fines and penalties by completing the audit in time for the deadline.
For an ESOS quote or advice on submitting your late notification form, give Business Juice a call on 0800 051 5492 or email esos@businessjuice.co.uk.