19/09/2023
Energy diagnosis: guide to the 2023 deadline
In view of the imminent deadline in December 2023, we summarize the most useful information on Energy Diagnosis, an increasingly necessary tool in the company's path to corporate efficiency and sustainability.
What it is: it is a systematic procedure aimed at providing adequate knowledge of the energy consumption profile of a building, an activity of a plant...
It is a sort of snapshot of energy use and represents a fundamental resource for starting improvement processes in terms of efficiency and environmental sustainability.
What is it for: The benefits that can be gained are many.
Through in-depth knowledge of the real energy behavior (and consumption) of the reality under examination, it is in fact possible to reduce the impact of annual energy expenditure on one's turnover (both by identifying actions with which to reduce energy consumption and by studying management and optimization strategies of the production process and preventive maintenance of the machinery used) and improve its environmental sustainability.
The audit provides data on the energy performance of the systems and the location of leaks and suggests any improvement interventions that may concern thermal insulation, modification of energy generation systems (e.g. replacement of gas boiler with electric heat pump ), the use of architectural and plant engineering solutions aimed at efficiency (e.g. photovoltaic, cogeneration), etc.
For each of these opportunities, a cost/benefit analysis is carried out which allows the interventions to be classified starting from the "zero capital" ones (almost zero impact on investments) moving on to the "low capital" ones (minimum investment) up to the "capital intensive".
Obligors and volunteers:
The following companies are required by law to present the Energy Diagnosis: – Large companies : which employ more than 250 people, whose annual turnover exceeds 50 million euros or whose annual balance sheet total exceeds 43 million euros.
- Energy-intensive companies : which consume at least 2.4 GWh of total energy, and whose ratio between the actual cost of the energy used and the value of the turnover is not less than 3.0%.
The number of companies that carry out DE voluntarily is growing to advance in the process, increasingly requested within the supply chain, of certifying the energy consumption and carbon footprint of each product.
Legal obligations and measures to be respected:
Current legislation establishes that the audit is carried out every four years (by 5 December) and that the results of the diagnosis are communicated to ENEA.
The fine for omitted energy diagnosis ranges from 4,000 to 40,000 euros, halved if the diagnosis does not comply with the provisions of the Decree. However, the sanction does not eliminate the obligation to carry out the diagnosis which must in any case be communicated to ENEA.
Between one DE and another, energy-intensive companies are required to implement at least one energy efficiency intervention among those defined in the diagnosis.
This means that those who have not yet complied with the deadlines still have a few months to do so.
IMPORTANT: Starting from the second diagnosis it is mandatory to provide a monitoring system , so that the consumption, estimated for the first diagnosis, is measured.
Time is running out... if your company needs to comply with the Energy Diagnosis due in December and install a consumption monitoring system very quickly and easily, contact us and discover our solutions!
