The ‘PAS 51215: Energy efficiency assessment – Competency of a lead energy assessor’ specification gives requirements for the competencies necessary for a person deemed capable of conducting an energy efficiency assessment.
It will help the 9,400 large enterprises that will be required to calculate their energy use from next year under the new Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).
The BSI’s head of market development for sustainability David Fatscher said: “Many of the challenges being faced by organisations today revolve around trust, and with that comes openness and transparency. The UK has picked up the gauntlet set down by the EU directive, by developing PAS 51215.
“The competency of lead energy assessors might be a simple consideration, but it can have a massive impact on instilling confidence and trust when carrying out energy efficiency assessments. It means the outcomes of those assessments are accurate, true and can help business make the changes they need to grow more sustainably.”
DECC last week confirmed the final details of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) which demands all organisations outside the public sector with more than 250 employees undertake energy audits once every four years in line with the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive.
However, the competency level of the assessors, whether they are in-house experts or external resources such as consultants and energy service providers, needs to be assured. This is where PAS 51215 can be used to safeguard the quality of the energy efficiency assessments being carried out.
Benefits of PAS 51215:
- Eases the uptake of energy efficiency assessments for large organisations.
- Encourages other organizations, such as SMEs, to carry out energy efficiency assessments.
- Provides a consistent way for lead energy assessors with the right competencies to be identified or trained.
Application of PAS 51215:
- It applies to a lead energy assessor who might be working alone or leading an assessment team in completing an energy efficiency assessment. The energy efficiency assessment can be carried out on a building or group of buildings, industrial operations or installations and transport, which form a key part of an organizations’ energy consumption
- It does not cover the processes involved in carrying out an energy efficiency assessment or for identifying the scope of an individual energy efficiency assessment
To find out more about how ESOS will affect your business, click here.