News Archive - Monthly Archives: April 2019

Case Study: North Somerset Council

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Energy Management and North Somerset Council have enjoyed a profitable relationship over many years.

The background

Faced with budget cuts, North Somerset Council (NSC) contacted us because they were looking for a reputable energy consultancy to help them find savings on one of their biggest overheads – energy.

Our relationship with NSC started in 2009 and it is set to continue into a third decade due to the high levels of customer satisfaction.

NSC benefits from the full range of our energy management services including Invoice Validation. More than £350,000 has been recouped from suppliers in the last six-and-a-half years after our team discovered the Council had been billed incorrectly.

Services offered

  • Procurement
  • Dedicated account management
  • Market analysis
  • Invoice Validation
  • Engineering Advice
  • EM-Powered energy management portal

Benefits

  • Accurate invoicing
  • Procurement of contracts at competitive rates
  • Ease of service for technical issues e.g.; new meter installs, change of tenancy application

What NSC say about us?

“Energy Management provides unrivalled expert advice, which has resulted in significant cost savings for the Council. We are extremely happy with the service we receive from Energy Management LLP and would recommend them without hesitation.” – Commercial & Compliance Officer for the Council.

 

SECR – all you need to know

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With the new SECR regulations coming into effect on 1st April 2019, Energy Management explains how the changes may affect certain businesses …

As of April 1st 2019, Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR) commenced, with the aim of simplifying carbon and energy reporting and promoting energy efficiency. SECR requires businesses to publish all energy and transport consumption and carbon emissions information.

The changes to the previous methods of reporting align SECR with the government’s new Clean Growth Strategy, which targets a 20% improvement in business and industry energy productivity by 2030.

You will need to comply if:

  • In the past, you were required to comply with mandatory Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting
  • Or you meet two or more of the following;

a.) Turnover of £36 million or over

b.) Balance sheet totalling £18 million or over

c.) Number of employees 250 or over

How will this affect your business?

All businesses are now required to publish electricity, gas and transport energy consumption and carbon emissions information alongside annual directors’ reports for financial years beginning on or after April 1st, 2019. As well as this, businesses will need to disclose any energy efficiency action taken in the previous financial year. The government has stated that, as it stands, you will not be required to disclose ESOS recommendations and the implementation of these. It is important to note that this intends to be revisited following evaluation of ESOS phase one.

How do I report?

SECR reporting is due annually and is published alongside annual directors’ reports.

Within the legislation, no specific method of reporting has been stipulated. However, the government will outline what is deemed to be ‘good practice’ when reporting.

Contact us on 01225 867722 and we will work with you to achieve SECR compliance.

In the meantime, please have a look at our SECR Checker Tool to see if you need to comply.

Mitigating against CCL rises

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Non-energy costs (often referred to as thirty-party costs) have consistently been on the rise in recent times and they now account for around 60 per cent of a company’s overall energy bill, and everything points to this trend continuing in the future.

This month has seen an increase in rates for Climate Change Levy (CCL, affecting electricity, natural gas, LPG and other taxable commodities. 

The CCL rate – an environmental tax on energy delivered to non-domestic users – has been raised to recover the revenue from abolishing the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) at the end of the 2018/19 compliance year.

One way to keep a check on these increases is by ensuring compliance and reducing energy consumption; energy efficiency is now every bit as important as procurement in terms of energy management.

Alternatively, your business may currently be in a Climate Change Agreement (CCA). Businesses who hold a CCA will see their CCL discount increase from 90% up to a 93% reduction in electricity costs and from 65% up to a 78% discount on gas, LPG and any other taxable commodity.

Taxable Commodity April 2018 Rate April 2019 Rate
Electricity (£/kWh) 0.00583 0.00847
Gas (£/kWh) 0.00203 0.00339
LPG (£/kg) 0.01591 0.02175

At Energy Management, we have an experienced team of energy consultants and chartered engineers who are highly-skilled at devising and implementing cost-reduction solutions including the introduction of energy-saving technologies. We are also have years of experience in guiding clients through the CCA process, ensuring all relevant procedures are followed to ensure CCL discount.

Our bespoke energy management portal, EM-Powered, is also an invaluable tool is accurately monitoring and reporting energy consumption so that businesses have a proper understanding of their consumption.

If you need help in managing your CCA, please get in contact on 01225-867722.