Partner Article

Retail lighting expert warns ‘don’t let ESOS become a tick box exercise’

Andy Chell, Sales and Marketing Manager at Greenlite Lighting Solutions, says: Take advantage of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) and recoup the costs of an audit with cash-saving retrofits.

Wow, ESOS is certainly proving to be a much discussed piece of legislation, isn’t it? This is perhaps unsurprising, due to the potential price tag that comes with it. Luckily, the scheme is designed to help open up a whole new range of cost-saving opportunities – as long as you do it properly!

So what’s it all about?

You know me, always keen to get my teeth into the latest hot topic. So I exchanged my usual lunchtime reading about retail lighting to do some homework and give you a quick ESOS lowdown.

Developed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), this mandatory scheme states that all large enterprises must conduct an energy audit by December 2015. The audit requires a review of total energy use and relative energy intensity of a company, as well as the identification of the cost-effective, energy-saving opportunities.

Now it’s tempting to switch off in horror when you hear the words ‘mandatory energy audit’ (although, personally, I find the phrase very exciting), but don’t ignore the emphasis the scheme places on seeking ways to boost energy efficiency.

So it’s just going to cost a lot?

NO! The process includes establishing simple yet effective ways to lower your energy use, which will help cut costs and carbon emissions. Doing the audit but failing to make any changes would be a mistake. Don’t be the business that loses out when others are taking the time to improve their bottom line!

In fact, DECC estimates that an in-depth energy survey can identify potential cost savings that are more than 13.5 times greater than the cost of the audit.

But what energy-saving technologies are there?

Oh my, so many. It’s a veritable smorgasbord! There are retrofit technologies to suit each individual business. For a quick return on investment, though, I would recommend energy-efficient upgrades such as green lighting or building controls.

As a commercial lighting supplier, Greenlite has seen that these technologies can help businesses make savings right away. Especially if you combine these with a finance plan that employs positive payback – that is, where repayments total less than the energy savings made.

All in all, it’s a good idea to start thinking about ESOS now. Don’t let it become a tick box exercise and don’t let that December 2015 deadline creep up, or you risk missing out on some serious cost savings before then. Plus I’d rather avoid a Christmas rush on energy-efficient lighting…

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Joanna Watchman .