Success of ESOS at risk
The ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme) legislation for the top 10 000 companies could fail for avoidable reasons — according to a report published by the Energy Services & Technology Association (ESTA) and sustainability specialist Cambium. The survey among vendors of energy-efficiency products and services covers the dynamics of the energy-efficiency market created by ESOS and the impact of ESOS on the energy-efficiency supply chain.
The findings indicate that there is still time to make ESOS a success, provided:
• the Government does more to publicise the scheme to the 10 000 participants;
• providers of energy-efficiency solutions communicate the right messages to the right ESOS participant executives;
• executives from ESOS participants and energy-efficiency suppliers collaborate to build more comprehensive business cases for investment that reflects the complete economic, environmental and societal benefits of investing in energy-efficiency projects.
Robin Hale, director of ESTA said, ‘All sides of the energy industry need to tackle the issue of boardroom apathy and prove the advantages of a wider array of energy-saving measures. The survey was undertaken with Cambium, which has great insights into market opportunities for organisations. We will be using the research at our ESOS events next year.’
Although the report found that ESOS is beginning to drive renewed interest in energy-efficiency measures, 61% of suppliers believe that Government must do more to promote awareness of the legislation to affected companies. Failure to do this will postpone or place in jeopardy the policy goal of reducing energy consumption by the affected companies.
The report also found that the ESOS market for energy-efficiency solutions is already active for consultancies and providers of energy-efficiency solutions. 64% of suppliers are seeing ESOS opportunities, and 6% of suppliers expect to see incremental business catalysed by ESOS in 2015. 26% of suppliers reported having closed or in the process of closing business as a result of ESOS.
