Energy surveys and audits: The need for best practice

EU Directive 2011/0172 is about to become finalised in European law and mandates energy audits for organisations. As yet it is not clear how the UK government will implement this and over what timeline. The directive states that where energy audits are generally not offered commercially (such as small and medium-sized enterprises), Member States should develop programmes to encourage SMEs to undertake their own energy audits. Energy audits should be mandatory and regular for large enterprises, as energy savings can be significant. Audits should take into account relevant European or International Standards, such as ISO 50001:2011 (Energy Management Systems), or BS EN 16247-1:2012 (Energy Audits — Part 1: General requirements).BS EN 16247-1:2012 (Energy Audits — Part 1: General requirements), has just been published but has insufficient underpinning guidance to enable good quality audits to be specified. Andy Lewry has just published a signposting booklet,1 with the Energy Services and Technology Association, to provide underpinning guidance on how to achieve the requirements. Conducting an energy audit is essential in that it provides the data and information required for informed decision-making.