Energy auditing compliance scheme
The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) mandates large organisations to complete energy audits every four years. This requirement was transposed into Irish legislation in SI 426 of 2014 and amended by SI 646 of 2016 and SI 599 of 2019.
About the scheme
The Energy Auditing Compliance Scheme is designated by SEAI as meeting the minimum requirements of the Energy Efficiency Directive. The Energy Auditing Compliance Scheme consists of:
- Minimum criteria for energy audits
- Energy audit compliance notification system
- Energy Audit Scheme (register of energy auditors)
- Guidance on energy audits
Minimum criteria for energy audits
SEAI have established and published minimum criteria for energy audits. It covers buildings or groups of buildings, industrial operations or installations, including transportation, based on guidelines as laid out in Annex VI of the Energy Efficiency Directive.
Minimum Criteria for AuditsEnergy audit compliance notification system
Companies and public bodies who are required to undertake an energy audit ("an obligated entity") must have the necessary audit carried out and report to SEAI. SEAI have established an online notification system. Please click on the link below to complete a notification to SEAI.
Complete your formRegister of Energy Auditors
Depending on your route to compliance, the company / public body that is obligated must engage a Registered Energy Auditor to complete the audit or to confirm in writing that the management system fulfils the requirement for an audit.
List of AuditorsQuality assurance
SEAI has an obligation to monitor compliance with this legal requirement and to ensure that the quality of the audits undertaken meets minimum criteria. We established the Energy Auditing Scheme in 2015 to provide a framework for the undertaking of audits in an independent and competent manner. We have processes in place for compliance checking and quality assurance.
Privacy NoticeGuidance on energy audits
Energy audit handbook
SEAI's Energy Audit Handbook provides step-by-step guidance for a typical energy audit process, from audit preparation and pre-analysis through to site visit and reporting findings. It is especially useful for those seeking to undertake their first energy audit.
Guide to achieving compliance
This document outlines how the Energy Auditing Compliance Scheme operates in Ireland, what the audit needs to cover and report on to demonstrate compliance, as well as the consequences of non-compliance.
SEAI Guide to Energy Audit ComplianceEU Emissions trading scheme
Participants in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) may hold greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions permit(s) with respect to their energy-related GHG emissions. The energy consumption associated with GHG emissions, explicitly monitored and reported as a condition of GHG emissions permit(s), no longer constitutes an exemption in itself from the requirement for an audit in accordance with the legislation.
Legislation (SI 599 of 2019) requires obligated entities to ensure that a sites energy consumption is audited in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Audit Compliance Scheme and its supporting legislation.
Become a registered Energy Auditor
Join the SEAI Register of Energy Auditors and conduct energy audits under the Energy Audit Scheme. As a registered Energy Auditor you may be contracted by a large enterprise to carry out an energy audit.
Register todayLeap to 11
Leap to 11 is a collaborative effort between eleven participating National Energy Agencies, to support their respective Member States during the transposition and implementation of Article 11 of the recast Energy Efficiency Directive.
About Leap to 11If your organisation meets any one of the following criteria:
- A company that employs 250 people or more
- A company with an annual turnover in excess of €50m and an annual balance sheet total in excess of €43m
- A public body with individual buildings with a total useful floor area of more than 500m2 or an annual energy spend of more than €35,000*
then you are an obligated entity.
* Schools who provide their energy data to SEAI through the Monitoring and Reporting System and are pro-actively engaged in exemplar energy management are exempted from this requirement.
There are two broad options to undertake an energy audit:
You can undertake a standalone energy audit(s), on the basis of the Minimum Criteria for Energy Audits, every four years. Each audit must be completed by a Registered Energy Auditor, OR
If your organisation has a valid, certified energy or environmental management system (ISO 50001, ISO 14001 or equivalent) and you can demonstrate to SEAI that the management system meets the Minimum Criteria for Energy Audits, then your organisation can engage a Registered Energy Auditor from the Register of Energy Auditors to confirm in writing that the management system fulfils the requirement for an audit.
This must be repeated within four years from the date of your last audit. The full requirements for compliance are set out in SI 426 of 2014 (as amended by SI 626 of 2016 and SI 599 of 2019), with additional information available in the Minimum Criteria for Energy Audit document and any Guidance documents published by SEAI.
You must notify SEAI of your compliance with the requirements of the Scheme as set out in the legislation by submitting a notification form.
You must complete an energy audits once every four years. The deadline for undertaking the first audit was 5 December 2015. Organisations that missed this deadline should complete an audit immediately and a further audit not later than 4 years from the previous audit.
If the requirement to undertake an energy audit did not apply to your organisation until the enactment of SI 599 of 2019, i.e. you previously had an exemption as a participant in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS), then you must complete an energy audit by 30 June 2020.
The Minimum Criteria for an Energy Audit are established and published by SEAI. The scope of the audit or compliance route must cover at least 85% of that organisation's total delivered energy use in the Republic of Ireland. This applies to standalone audits and to audits undertaken as part of certified management systems.
If the audit is completed by an SEAI Registered Energy Auditor, the Energy Audit should be presented to the company and signed off by one company director.
However, if an audit is completed by an internal auditor, the audit must be signed by an SEAI Registered Energy Auditor and by two company directors. The SEAI Registered Energy Auditor must ensure that all requirements are met and takes the responsibility to ensure that the audit is sufficient and the company can report compliance.
SEAI has an obligation to monitor compliance with this legal requirement and to ensure that the quality of the audits undertaken meets minimum criteria. We established the Energy Auditing Scheme in 2015 to provide a framework for the undertaking of audits in an independent and competent manner. We have processes in place for compliance checking and quality assurance.
Contact us
Email [email protected]
Call 01 8082046