To comply with ESOS you must:
• Calculate your total energy consumption
• Identify your areas of significant energy consumption
• Complete the required audits for one year’s consumption, under the direction of a lead assessor
• Submit your ESOS notification of compliance to the Environment Agency
• Keep records of compliance in an evidence pack

Following changes brought as part of ESOS phase 3, compliance requires an additional stage following the initial submission notification: an ESOS action plan and ESOS annual progress update.

The action plan must be signed off by a board level director (or equivalent) and submitted via the compliance notification system by the action plan deadline, which is 5 December 2024 (or the extended deadline of 5 March 2025).

Following submission of the action plan, you must submit an annual progress update against your action plan commitments in the two subsequent years.

The deadline for submitting annual progress updates is 12 months after the action plan deadline, and then 12 months after the submission deadline for the first progress update. For the third compliance period, the deadlines are 5 December 2025, and 5 December 2026. Each progress update relates to the 12-month period preceding the deadline.

The purpose of the progress updates is for ESOS participants to report publicly on what progress has been made and to encourage participants to proactively take the energy saving actions they have identified and committed to.