DNV GL launches energy audit tool to help companies meet EU Energy Efficiency Directive

ANTWERP, Belgium, 04 November 2019 – DNV GL has developed an energy audit tool to easily audit multiple business sites and help customers save money by optimising existing technologies, such as lighting, ventilation, air control and server rooms. The new tool comes at a critical time for many countries, as the Article 8 of the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EU EED) deadline approaches on 5th December 2019.

The legislation requires all large enterprises based in the European Union - with at least 250 employees, or annual revenues over €50 million and an annual balance sheet of over €43 million - to comply with the national energy audit obligation, including calculating their total energy consumption and identifying saving opportunities across their estate, every four years. 

Organisations with multiple operations across Europe must meet the legislative requirements of every Member State they operate in. All 28 countries have their own specific audit requirements, often only available in local language, which makes achieving compliance difficult. DNV GL has previously warned that 45,000* businesses risk fines of up to €1 million, if they fail to comply with Article 8 of the EU EED, by 5th December 2019.

To help companies attain compliance more easily, DNV GL’s new tool automatically calculates energy balances and energy saving opportunities, using an algorithm to calculate average energy use in case of missing data, and allow for easy benchmarking. Today, energy audits rely on manual reports, often carried out by different auditors across multiple sites, which can have an impact on consistency. Using the new tool, best practices can be identified and shared across multiple sites, maximising the value of the energy audit. 

The new tool was created using funding from DNV GL’s global innovation portfolio, an internal scheme intended to fund development of projects dedicated towards digital delivery or data smart services, which add value by leveraging data or connecting data to bring value to customers. 

 “To limit global temperatures rising by well below 2°C as set out in the Paris Agreement, DNV GL recommends that several technology measures are put in place including increasing global energy efficiency improvements by 3.5% per year within the next decade. To enable this, the process of becoming as energy efficient as possible needs to be made as easy and cost effective as possible. By switching from manual processes when conducting audits, DNV GL helps companies to improve consistency and reduce time spent on audits to save money. With only 1 month left to meet the EU’s energy audit deadline, it’s vital that companies act now to avoid fines and non-compliance. Our new tool takes our extensive expertise and deep knowledge of the regulatory variations for all 28 Member States and combines this with our proprietary algorithm to make life easier for our customers,” commented Prajeev Rasiah, Executive Vice President North Europe, Middle East & Africa at DNV GL.

*Data from Eurostat - Annual enterprise statistics by size class for special aggregates of activities

About DNV GL

DNV GL is a global quality assurance and risk management company. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, we enable our customers to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas, power and renewables industries. We also provide certification, supply chain and data management services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our experts are dedicated to helping customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

DNV GL delivers world-renowned testing, certification and advisory services to the energy value chain including renewables and energy management. Our expertise spans onshore and offshore wind power, solar, conventional generation, transmission and distribution, smart grids, and sustainable energy use, as well as energy markets and regulations. Our experts support customers around the globe in delivering a safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy supply.

Learn more at www.dnvgl.com/power-renewables