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ESOS Action Plan deadline extended to 5 March 2025

1 October 2024

What’s changed?

Following closure of the latest UK Government Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) compliance phase in August 2024, all companies required to comply with ESOS Phase 3 were directed to submit an ESOS Action Plan before 5 December 2024.

However, due to delays in the development of the  Manage your Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (MESOS) reporting portal, the Environment Agency has recently extended the deadline for submission of ESOS action plans by three months, with ESOS Action Plans now required to be submitted by 5 March 2025. 

What’s an ESOS action plan?

An ESOS action plan is a concise document setting out the energy saving actions an organisation is committed to carrying out before the next ESOS assessment phase. It is also an opportunity for participants to set any energy reduction targets, if these are not already covered in other existing business objectives.

You do not need to employ an ESOS Lead Assessor  to sign off your action plan; instead the plan must be approved by a company board-level director or equivalent.

Some organisations choose to submit an action plan that states that they will not take any actions to save energy during the action plan period; however this is not recommended as it will likely make the next ESOS assessment phase more arduous.

What should an ESOS action plan contain?

All companies required to comply with ESOS Phase 3  must produce an action plan setting out the following:

  • Steps to reduce energy consumption
  • Implementation timelines
  • Recommendations from your ESOS assessment
  • Expected energy savings over four years
  • Methods to estimate these savings

All action plans will be made available to the public.

What’s the process for submission?

The Environment Agency anticipates that the MESOS portal will be ready from 1 November 2024. ESOS action plans can be formally submitted from then up to 5 March 2025.

If you choose not to submit an action plan or progress reports, the Environment Agency will publish that you do not intend to carry out any energy saving actions. 

What are the annual reporting requirements?

The ESOS Action Plan must be followed up with two annual progress updates, reporting on the actions committed to and taken by an organisation in their action plan. The relevant period of 12 months for the first annual progress report will cover from 6 December 2024 to 5 December 2025, and for the second the period will cover 6 December 2025 to 5 December 2026. 

All progress reports will be made available to the public.

What are the business benefits?

If not already in place elsewhere, creating an ESOS action plan is a great way to align your organisation’s energy performance improvement goals with your strategic direction. Enhanced energy efficiency and the associated cost savings will benefit companies financially, and in addition, a clear energy action plan can support broader climate change objectives and sustainability commitments.

Both ESOS action plans and annual progress reports are made public, providing an opportunity for organisations to show transparency and uphold or enhance their reputation for sustainable practice and commitment to contributing to the UK Government’s net zero targets.

For further information, or if we can support you with development of your action plan, please contact info@aurora-environmental.co.uk.

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