Could your business benefit from external support with ESOS?

Every ESOS report must be signed off by a qualified ESOS Lead Assessor, which can be an internal member of staff (though they must pass an ESOS training course and belong to an approved professional body register) or an independent Lead Assessor from an external consultant. While some businesses may have an internal Lead Assessor on hand, it’s likely that many organisations will need to seek an external Assessor – and if they haven’t already, they should do so quickly to avoid the shortage of available Lead Assessors we saw in the months prior to the Phase 1 deadline.

Working with an external Lead Assessor can take away much of the burden of compliance from an organisation’s in-house team, freeing up their time so they can focus on their core business activities. While the participating business will still be required to define the scope of the audits, obtain a director’s approval of the audit findings and notify the Environment Agency of compliance by the compliance deadline, an external Lead Assessor will help them with the tasks that are often the most complex and time-consuming. They’re responsible for determining energy use profiles, for example, and calculating the energy and cost savings of potential energy saving opportunities.

As ESOS experts, external Lead Assessors can also provide guidance in key areas, such as agreeing the audit methodology, the number of site visits required and the sampling approach. This not only makes the whole process smoother, but it can also make the difference between compliance and non-compliance. Tasks like presenting audit recommendations and reviewing ESOS evidence packs should be straightforward for external Lead Assessors, who are likely to have helped many businesses with ESOS.

So, when choosing an external Lead Assessor, it’s vital that organisations look for someone that has a proven track record in guiding businesses through ESOS compliance. That’s because while companies can hand over responsibilities of ESOS reporting to an external Assessor, the overall legal responsibility for compliance with ESOS remains with the company itself – and those that don’t comply could face significant fines.

At Inenco, our Lead Assessors helped over 320 organisations through ESOS Phase 1, and we achieved a 100% Environmental Agency audit compliance rate, so companies that choose our ESOS service can be confident that they will be compliant. We also help our customers to make the most of the ESOS opportunity by providing them with a comprehensive energy, carbon and cost savings report, and supporting them with implementing their recommendations. To find out more, visit our ESOS service page.