The introduction of ESOS has made little impact on board level attitudes towards financing energy efficiency, according to UK businesses that have to comply with the scheme.
Initial findings of a survey by TheEnergyst.com found that almost two thirds of respondents (63%) thought the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme had made no difference to getting energy efficiency projects away. Less than a third (31%) said that it had.
The survey, which closes at the end of April, aims to gauge the barriers to financing energy efficiency projects. Responses garnered so far from around 50 directors, managers and consultants across multinationals, local authorities and SMEs suggest that board level buy-in remains a major challenge.
A third (34%) of those surveyed have suggested scepticism around the claimed level of savings is a key reason behind board level reticence. More than half (56%) said energy efficiency projects were not enough of a priority for their organisation.
Almost three quarters (72%) of respondents said there was a lack of trust or understanding of third party finance for energy efficiency projects, while a similar level (69%) said there was a lack of trust or understanding of using energy performance contracts (EPCs) for energy efficiency measures.
The full findings of the report will be published in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, we invite readers to spend five to 10 minutes completing the survey.
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