The Mandatory Energy Audit for Businesses is a way to reduce long-term energy costs.

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The Mandatory Company Energy Audit is the only chance to find out how to save energy, money, and contribute to environmental protection. All of this is possible through the implementation of changes that will pay off in a short, specific time. Furthermore, only an audit carried out by the Energy Trend team will also allow you to obtain funding for planned investments!

CONTENTS:

What is a Business Energy Audit?

It’s not just a legal obligation!

Regular monitoring and analysis of energy usage and consumption by a facility, building, system, or organization, aimed at identifying energy flows and potential energy efficiency improvements, as well as reporting.

In a more visual sense, an Energy Audit for an Industrial Facility aims to identify where energy is being wasted and how to fix those energy leaks. Of course, in theory, everything in a company could work flawlessly, and the audit could show that there’s nothing to improve. But that’s highly unlikely in practice. From experience, we know it’s almost impossible.

What is the purpose of the mandatory audit?

By examining the sources that consume at least 90% of the total energy in the company, you can obtain interesting information about how energy is used in the company. This will allow you to identify 1) the correct demand for utilities and also find out 2) where energy consumption savings can be achieved. This, in turn, will contribute to 3) reducing the long-term operating costs of the company.

Who is obligated to perform Energy Audits in a company?

Large companies, but smaller ones as well, willingly use them. Find out why!

The obligatory Energy Audit of a company is a statutory obligation for large entities, which are those that:

  • employed more than 250 people over the last 2 years

or

  • achieved annual turnover of around 50 million euros and revenues exceeding 43 million euros.

Interestingly, certain companies are exempt from this obligation. These include those that have an energy management system compliant with the Polish standard ISO 50001 or an environmental management system under EMAS, provided that periodic audits have already been conducted within these systems. Additionally, facilities that are not required to conduct mandatory audits can still choose to do so to gain insights into the energy consumption of various elements within the company and identify potential savings.

Penalties

Performing an Energy Audit of Enterprises is a legal obligation, so failure to comply with legal requirements may result in a financial penalty. It can amount to even 5% of the company’s revenue earned in the previous tax year! Information about the failure to comply with the auditing obligation is sent to the Energy Regulatory Office. Therefore, if the audit deadline has passed, it is essential to commission its execution as soon as possible!

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Why is it worth conducting an Energy Audit of a Manufacturing Plant?

Discover 7 unique benefits!

The audit of the company, although mandatory, should not be seen as an unpleasant obligation because it actually provides many benefits to businesses. What are they?

  • The audit will show how to reduce costs related to energy consumption;
  • It will determine the profitability of implementing new solutions (modernization investments, energy management systems) and provide ways to find funding for them;
  • It will show how you can save on purchasing energy (e.g., discounts for energy-intensive businesses);
  • It will determine whether the tariff and power capacity are properly matched to the actual needs of the business. This will help avoid high penalties in case of incorrectly chosen power capacity;
  • It will assess the condition of electrical installations, which can prevent fires in the future;
  • It will determine how to reduce energy emissions, thereby reducing the company’s negative impact on the environment.

Legal Acts Regulating Audits

On what basis are Energy Company Audits conducted?

The obligation to conduct an Energy Company Audit arises directly from the Energy Efficiency Act of May 20, 2016. However, there are many other legal acts related to the mandatory audit conducted in accordance with the art, which includes the observance of specific standards. These include, among others:

  • The Energy Law Act of April 10, 1997, as amended;
  • The Construction Law Act of July 7, 1994, as amended;
  • The Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 12, 2002, on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location, as amended;
  • The Regulation of the Minister of Economy of August 10, 2012, on the detailed scope and method of preparing energy efficiency audits, the template of an energy efficiency audit report, and methods for calculating energy savings, as amended;
  • The PN-EN 16247-1 standard – Energy audits (4 parts: General requirements, Buildings, Processes, Transport);
  • The PN-EN ISO 50001 standard – Energy management systems – Requirements and guidelines for use;
  • The reference document on best available techniques for energy efficiency, February 2009;
  • The EED Directive 2012/27/UE implemented in Polish legislation by the Energy Efficiency Act of May 20, 2016.
  • The Act of August 29, 2014, on the energy performance of buildings;
  • Regulations of the Minister of Infrastructure and Development of February 17, 2015, regarding the templates of protocols from the inspection of heating systems or air conditioning systems;
  • Regulations of the Minister of Infrastructure and Development of February 17, 2015, concerning the manner of verification and detailed scope of verification of energy performance certificates and protocols for the inspection of heating or air conditioning systems;

What is included in the Company Audit?

The elements of the mandatory audit, or in other words, what exactly is subjected to review

Each business audit thoroughly examines various areas in terms of energy consumption. An Energy Audit of an Industrial Plant includes, among others:

  • heat sources,
  • electricity and cooling,
  • buildings and transmission networks,
  • technological processes
  • and transport.

The energy audit of a company takes a minimum of 45 days. Based on the work performed, an extensive report is created, typically consisting of an average of 100 pages.

The more theoretical part includes the following information:

  • Every mandatory audit begins with a description of the company, specifically its activities, such as production – what is being produced and where;
  • It should also include the definition of audit objectives and the identification of legal standards governing its conduct;
  • Next, there is information about the measurements that have been taken and the equipment used, as well as a discussion of the measurement topic itself;
  • It also includes definitions of various types of energy that will later appear in the document;
  • Next, the method for calculating the financial and ecological parameters of the solutions recommended as a result of the audit is discussed.

Next, we move on to the practical part, which involves conducting the energy audit and describing the findings that resulted from it.

  • Each Mandatory Energy Audit of Enterprises is based on current, measurable, and representative data. This allows for the presentation of an energy balance for the company, indicating how much energy a particular area consumes over a specified period, including on an annual scale (This includes, for example, thermal energy, electrical energy, and transportation) broken down into specific buildings, their complexes, production machines, which together account for at least 90% of the total energy consumption (such as refrigeration equipment, diesel fuel, boiler rooms, heating centers, compressors, lighting, ventilation, etc.).
  • Next comes the section with recommendations – that is, how to improve the energy efficiency of the company, for example, by using photovoltaics, utilizing waste heat, improving lighting, etc. The audit always discusses the implementation costs of these solutions and the savings they will generate for the company. It’s important to note that an energy audit is based on a life-cycle cost analysis of buildings and industrial installations, not just the payback period of the investment. This allows for the identification of long-term savings.
  • At the end of the audit, there is a table summarizing the proposed solutions, the amount of energy saved, expected savings, implementation costs, and information about the payback period of the investment.
  • Tables, charts, and photos, such as thermographic studies, are attached to the mandatory audit.
Mandatory energy audit

Mandatory Energy Audit – What Does the Process Look Like?

Just a few steps to gain knowledge about savings.

At Energy Trend, we strive to conduct Energy Audits for businesses in a way that minimally disrupts their operations.

  1. We always start our collaboration by determining the needs of the client, which includes their requirements and expectations regarding the audit.
  2. Next, we collect data from all the energy processes within the company and analyze them.
  3. Next, we conduct an on-site visit, which involves taking measurements and conducting additional research to fill in any missing data.
  4. Then, we verify the financial feasibility of the proposed investments.
  5. Then, we create a report based on the conducted audit.
  6. We discuss the results of the Mandatory Energy Audit of the Enterprise with the client.
  7. We prepare a notification for the Energy Regulatory Office.
  8. Support in implementing recommendations.

Why Energy Trend?

Find out why it’s worth choosing us to conduct the Mandatory Energy Audit of your company.

  • We guarantee that we will conduct the Mandatory Energy Audit of your industrial facility in accordance with the regulations. Therefore, we are confident that it will not be rejected by the Energy Regulatory Office. However, if it is rejected at your company’s request, we will refund our entire fee.
  • We provide high liability insurance coverage of 1,000,000 PLN, which means that in the event of unforeseen damage, we will cover the cost of repairs at our expense.
  • We have years of experience, and hundreds of Energy Audits that we have conducted have been positively verified by URE (the Energy Regulatory Office).
  • Our auditors are members of the Association of Energy Auditors and the Association of Energy Certifiers and Auditors.

FAQ – frequently asked questions and answers

Discover the most frequently asked questions about audits!

  1. Who is exempt from the Mandatory Energy Audit for Companies?

Companies that have an energy management system compliant with the Polish standard (e.g., ISO 50001) or an environmental management system under EMAS, provided that they have already conducted a periodic audit within these systems.

  1. What if a company attains the status of a large enterprise in the middle of the year?

According to the interpretation of the Energy Regulatory Office, such a company must complete the mandatory energy audit by the end of the calendar year. However, this is not directly stated in the regulations.

  1. What should be the scope of the Mandatory Energy Audit of a Company?

The detailed review should cover the sources responsible for at least 90% of energy consumption in the company.

  1. How should the mandatory audit look like?

Briefly on this page, we described the components of an energy audit. However, for those seeking more detailed information, we refer you to the standard PN-EN 16247, which specifies the principles of conducting energy audits for businesses.

  1. How often should the Mandatory Energy Audit for Businesses be performed? When does the deadline expire?

If 4 years have passed since the previous audit, it should be commissioned immediately.

  1. What is the difference between an Energy Audit of a Company and an Energy Efficiency Audit?

An Energy Audit of Companies is a legal requirement, it applies to large companies, and it examines all areas responsible for at least 90% of energy consumption in the facility. On the other hand, an Energy Efficiency Audit relates to a single area, such as lighting, and is required only when the company applies for funding for investments, for example, White Certificates or funds from Norwegian sources.

  1. What are the penalties for not conducting a mandatory audit?

An entrepreneur who does not conduct a Mandatory Energy Audit of the Enterprise is subject to a financial penalty, the amount of which can be up to a maximum of 5% of the company’s revenue achieved in the previous tax year.

  1. What if I exceed the deadline for conducting the mandatory audit?

In practice, the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) sends a written reminder about the obligation to conduct the audit. Therefore, you should promptly carry out the audit upon receiving the reminder. This way, you still have a chance to rectify the error and avoid penalties.

  1. Why is it worth conducting an Energy Audit for a company, even though it’s not mandatory?

An energy audit provides many benefits, to name just a few: it identifies how to save on energy consumption, and conducting it also allows you to apply for funding for planned investments from various sources. Only an audit carried out by the Energy Trend team provides such an opportunity at a competitive price!

  1. How much does it cost to conduct an Industrial Energy Audit?

The cost of a Mandatory Energy Audit for a company can vary significantly. The price depends on various factors such as the size of the company, the industry it operates in, the number of locations to be assessed, the technologies used, the total floor area, and more. Prices can start at around 10,000 PLN. The average cost for service companies is around 15,000 PLN, while manufacturing companies with two locations may expect costs of approximately 30,000 PLN. Larger companies should be prepared for costs reaching six figures. Note that if a facility only wants to fulfill its legal obligation for the audit, it may receive a more attractive price, but it may not provide as many benefits as a comprehensive audit.

Important: If you are interested in this form of a mandatory audit, please be sure to inform us so that we can prepare the appropriate offer.

  1. What does an audit look like just to meet the statutory obligation?

Such an Energy Audit of a Company is not always possible to conduct, but it’s worth knowing that its cost is lower because the auditor who performs it usually relies on available data and doesn’t need to carry out complex and lengthy measurements on the company’s premises.

  1. How to choose a company to perform an Energy Audit in a Company?

We advise you to consider not only price and references but also the scope of the audit when choosing a company to perform an Energy Audit in a Company. Based on an analysis of many available energy audits, we have noticed that auditors often conduct them very superficially, as if reluctantly. They may not yield any valuable insights and could be challenged by regulatory authorities during inspections.

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