Scope Energy in conjunction with SEAI offer SMEs a €2,000 voucher towards the cost of a high-quality energy audit. In most cases, this will cover the total cost of the audit, so it is a free service!

An Energy Audit is a hugely valuable exercise as it;
• Informs an SME about where their energy costs lie.
• Shows efficiency measures to reduce that cost.
• Identifies opportunities to move to renewable energy generation to further reduce costs
• Increases the Sustainability credentials of the company.

Businesses can apply for grants to conduct energy audits through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The aim of an energy audit is to identify ways for a business to reduce its energy consumption and costs, while also reducing its environmental impact.
Application to the scheme is easy, with automatic approval for eligible businesses.
To be eligible, an SME needs to spend €10,000 inc VAT on energy per year which would include spending on Electricity and Oil/Gas heating combined. The application process is very simple as below:

1. Apply for your Energy Audit voucher via SEAI’s Application Portal: https://mgen.seai.ie/
2. You will need the following info to apply:
• MPRN no. from your electricity bills
• CRO no. of your company if applicable
• Tax Clearance Access No.
• Ball park cost of Energy spend per year
4. Vouchers are approved within a few hours.
5. Once you’ve received your voucher, contact us to arrange the audit.

After the energy audit, the auditor will provide a report with recommendations for how the business can reduce its energy use and costs. The report may include suggestions for upgrading heating systems, improving insulation, or changing work practices.

The business can then implement the recommended changes, which may involve investing in new equipment or making operatuional changes to save energy. The SEAI may also offer additional grants to help businesses implement energy-saving measures.

By conducting an energy audit and subsequently implementing the recommendations, businesses in Ireland can save money on energy costs and reduce their CO2 emissions and environmental impact.

What is involved in an Energy Audit?
The energy audit has three main stages which are outlined below. To assist in the accuracy and effectiveness of the audit we ask for some assistance from your organization and that we are assigned a contact within your organization who we can liaise with throughout the project.

1. Documentation
In order to facilitate preliminary analysis and completion of your energy audit, please provide as much of the following information as possible. The first four items in bold are required as a minimum, any other information is welcome.
Electricity bills for the past year – include energy and cost information
Other fuel bills (e.g., Heating, Gas, Oil) for the past calendar year – include energy and cost information
Fleet Fuel Costs / Annual mileage rates
Building Occupancy data – How many people occupy the building and use the services on average
Access to online billing data
Access to any in house energy monitoring data
Any Business Process flow diagrams available
Building layout drawings / Site plans
Asset or equipment lists for main energy-using equipment
Copies of any previous energy audits
Details of known opportunities for energy efficiency
Historical energy management programmes or initiatives
Details of any upcoming organisational changes or expansion plans that are expected to affect energy use

2. Site Survey

The site survey will take several hours and will involve two activities:
• Meeting with assigned contact for review of data and to discuss the site survey.
• Survey – this involves:
- A walk-through of the building
- Measurement of the building footprint
- Taking photographic and written records of building fabric and relevant equipment.
- Some operational information will be required such as working hours, how long machinery is operational and any energy management / control strategies.

3. Report

Once all the required data is compiled, we will produce the Energy Audit report. The SSEA report must follow a template format created by SEAI and follow the requirements set out in their guidance documents. This format contains information on current energy use and opportunities for energy reduction and renewable energy generation.

After the report is issued and delivered, we ask you to sign an SEAI Completion of Works form which we then return to SEAI.

Post Audit Services

Once the project is complete, we also offer further consultation and project management services to realise the energy reduction measures outlined in the SSEA report.
We also offer Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions declarations services should they be required.