Are you concerned about the national shortage of ESOS Lead Auditors? The compliance date is 5th June but some businesses are set to miss the compliance date for their ESOS Reports, here's why.
Why could businesses miss the compliance date for their ESOS Reports?
Jes Rutter, Managing Director of Energy and Sustainability Consultancy JRP Solutions.
“As a result of delays in finalising the requirements for ESOS Phase 3, and because of the increased requirements of compliance this time, some qualified Lead Auditors who carried out the ESOS audits in the previous two phases, are no longer available, no longer willing or lack the necessary knowledge to carry out this work. Of those that have stuck with it, the majority now are at capacity and declining to take on any new audits.
The delays have caused considerable hardship* to some consultancies with some choosing to focus on other areas of their services or to, reluctantly, forget ESOS altogether. As a result, some companies are likely to struggle to find a Lead Assessor or to find a Lead Assessor who understands the new requirements. Unfortunately, this will mean that the companies may miss the compliance date for their ESOS Reports or could well submit non-compliant reports. At JRP, we are fortunate to have been able to increase our ESOS assessor resource and have been committed to keeping a close eye on the details of the new developments as they have occurred, including being involved in the DESNZ beta testing of the new report submission portal. In the short term at least, this means that we are still able to take on new audit work, but the lack of resource generally will no doubt catch some people out.”
The deadline for registration on the new ESOS portal is 5 June 2024 – will you be ready?
If you have any concerns at all, please get in touch now to see how we can help to ensure your compliance. Email info@jrpsolutions.com or call 0800 6127 567.
Click here for more information on the new requirements of ESOS Phase 3.
*In order to meet the original deadline of 5th December, ESOS auditors had to go ahead with work for customers under phase 2 requirements with a best guess approach as to what would be required. Guidelines were finally released on the 30th of November 2023, with the revised deadline of 5th June 2024. (The deadline was revised again on 13th March to 6th August 2024). This left just 6 months to meet the new requirements. This narrow timeframe added pressure to an already strained compliance process, further challenging businesses and consultancies to adjust swiftly and efficiently. The delayed release of guidelines not only disrupted the compliance timeline but has also impacted the invoicing process and strategic planning for consultancies. Many were left with work which could not progress and therefore could not be invoiced.
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