What is the difference between an energy audit and an energy advisory?

Energy audits and energy consultancy are two key approaches to optimising energy efficiency. An energy audit is a formalised process that systematically assesses energy management and identifies opportunities for improving energy efficiency following relevant legal requirements and the best available techniques. Energy advisory offers a broad and flexible range of consulting services that are tailored to the specific needs of the client.

Consultations are thus focused on specific areas such as optimising thermal management, installing photovoltaic systems, and assessing compliance of activities with the EU Taxonomy or strategies for reducing carbon footprint, without the need for an energy audit. In this way, the advisory service becomes a flexible tool that allows clients to focus directly on the areas where they want to achieve improvements.

What is an energy audit? 

An energy audit is a systematic process used to analyse the energy consumption of an energy management system or building to identify opportunities for energy savings and efficiency improvements. Thus, an energy audit can focus on selected energy management (e.g. a chain of retail stores or a complex of production halls), map existing energy processes and propose cost-effective measures.

For whom is an energy audit mandatory in Czechia? 

An energy audit is a great tool for all companies interested in potential energy savings, however, according to the Energy Audit Act it is mandatory for a number of entities such as:

1. Large enterprises with more than 250 employees, annual turnover over CZK 1.3 billion or balance sheet balance exceeding CZK 1.1 billion, where this balance applies to companies (ICOs) that are connected by more than 25% of assets or voting rights. These companies must be audited every 4 years.
2. Businesses that do not fall under the first point but have an annual energy consumption of more than 5,000 MWh.
3. State and public institutions, including counties, municipalities, contributory organisations and universities, if their annual energy consumption exceeds 500 MWh.

What does the process of preparing an energy audit look like and what information should be included in the report? 

The process of preparing an energy audit starts with defining its objectives and details, followed by collecting energy consumption data and inspecting equipment and buildings to identify opportunities for improvement. After data analysis, the auditor produces a report that includes a description and assessment of the baseline energy management status, suggestions for reducing energy consumption with cost and payback time estimates, classification and evaluation of measures and their environmental impact.
This comprehensive report enables the contracting authority to understand the current energy efficiency and provides a path for improvement, taking into account economic and environmental aspects.

What are the benefits for companies? 

An energy audit brings many benefits to companies. Firstly, it helps to identify areas where energy consumption can be reduced and therefore creates opportunities to reduce costs. It can also lead to improved operational processes, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased competitiveness in the marketplace, all of which are key benefits that help meet the demands of a transforming European economy. Knowledge of energy processes or the environmental performance of buildings then allows, for example, to obtain discounted green financing or, in the case of financial actors, to increase the share of green investments in the portfolio.

What if the audit is not mandatory for my company, but our company needs to get to grips with the energy sector? What services are available? 

If you yourself know where you have a weak point or are only interested in addressing heat consumption, installing PV or generally reducing your carbon footprint etc, it is not absolutely necessary to produce an energy audit in its formalised statutory form, but you can use energy consultancy services where consultants will focus on your desired area. 
Energy consultancy is thus not limited to energy audits. ČSOB Advisory thus offers a range of other useful services for a wide range of needs:

• Energy audits and assessments, PENB
  • Preparation of energy audit according to Act No. 406/2000 Coll. on energy management, as an analysis of energy consumption in energy management with identification and quantification of cost-effective energy savings.
  • Preparation of an energy assessment for objective verification of the technical, ecological and economic feasibility of the project plan, usually for subsidy titles or as a legal obligation.
  • Building energy performance certificates for all cases of legal obligation and as a basis for evaluating the property for sustainable financing per EU Taxonomy.
• Techno-economic optimisation
  
  • Comprehensive technical, economic and financial optimization of project plans in the field of energy-saving projects and the use of alternative energy sources.
  • Feasibility studies of proposed projects with detailed technical, financial and economic analysis.
  • Identification and analysis of suitable subsidy programs and project financing proposals
• Use of alternative energy sources
  • Identify suitable innovative and renewable alternatives to conventional, non-renewable and fossil energy sources in the context of optimising energy-saving measures.
  • Quantifying the reduction in pollutant emissions and carbon footprint due to the use of renewable energy sources in the context of reducing your organisation's carbon footprint.
• Energy and climate policy framework
  • Analyses, studies, concepts, policies and action plans in the complex field of energy and sustainability at the corporate, city or regional level.
  • Assessment of strategic decisions in the field of HES and its development, including the resource base.

Get a professional energy analysis or energy audit from an accredited specialist from ČSOB Advisory and calculate your company's carbon footprint with Green0meter.

Only qualified professionals who are officially registered in the list of energy specialists under the Ministry of Industry and Trade are authorized to conduct energy audits. This condition is strictly regulated by the Energy Management Act 406/2000, which guarantees a high level of service and trustworthy results that can bring significant energy savings to your organization. CSOB Advisory's energy specialists provide accredited energy auditing services and will guide you through the entire process.

Plus, thanks to the unique partnership between CSOB Advisory and Green0meter, you'll easily manage your environmental data within our platform, as well as get a Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint calculation for your business. You can then link your data to other services - such as SFDR building benchmarking, ESG check or complete preparation for CSRD reporting in accordance with European regulations. 

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