Introducing Advizzo’s home energy reports for Obligated Parties in Ireland
In 2014 the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) launched the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEOS). It is a scheme mandated in the EU energy efficiency directive, which places obligations on energy suppliers and distributors (otherwise known as Obligated Parties) to deliver energy savings by supporting energy efficiency projects in businesses and homes across Ireland.
Obligated parties (OPs) in Ireland are incentivized to offer support to make homes and business premises more energy efficient. For every unit of energy saved through these projects, OPs achieve energy credits towards their targets. The scheme is designed to help Ireland reach its national and European energy saving targets. We take a look at the scheme and how Advizzo can help Irish energy suppliers to achieve energy credits with home energy reports.
What are energy credits?
Every unit of energy saved by an energy saving project in conjunction with an OP has the potential to be reported as an energy credit. If an OP fails to secure sufficient credits, they can trade or buy-out at a higher price.
Obligated party targets
Targets are allocated to each obligated party based on their share of the energy market. This is calculated in terms of sales volume to final customers. Each company’s target is divided across three sectors: 75% non-residential, 20% residential and 5% energy poverty (residential)1. From 2017 OPs must achieve at least 95% of the annual targets (cumulatively) each year.
How the EEOS scheme works
Homeowners and businesses can get support from any OP – though there is no requirement for the supplier to provide the requested support. For an OP to claim energy credits, they must support the installation in some way and they must be involved in the project before the energy saving measures were installed.
When you consider that a quarter of all energy used in Ireland is consumed directly in homes (61% for space heating, 19% for water heating, 17% for lighting and appliances and 2% for cooking), second only to transport, and more than is used in industry, it’s clear to see why OPs in Ireland must focus their efforts on supporting residential customers2.
Eligible energy efficiency measures for domestic properties include:
- Insulation – roof, external wall cavity wall and floor insulation.
- Heating – High efficiency boiler, solar water heating and heat pump installation.
- Glazing – Full window and external door replacement.
- Information – Home energy report and shower energy monitor.
Advizzo’s home energy report support
Information is an extremely important facet when it comes to encouraging homeowners to consider their energy consumption – perhaps for the first time. For adoption of energy efficiency measures to take place, homeowners need to better understand their one energy use and be nudged’ into adopting new behaviors and measures.
For the purposes of the EEOS, OPs can gain energy credits by providing homeowners with ‘information’ in the form of home energy reports – an area that Advizzo specialises in. We combine data & behavioral science to deliver improved customer engagement solutions for all utilities.
Our personalized energy consumption reports are specifically designed to inform homeowners about their consumption with usage insights and benchmarks against similar households. We also deliver personalized tips and actions to nudge households to change their behaviors and reduce their consumption – all done by multi-channel communications.
EEOS home energy reports must include:
- Personalized comparisons – comparing a homeowner’s energy use (based on electrical consumption as dictated on the dwellings bi-monthly energy bill) against a group of no more than 200 similar households (e.g. by location, size, etc.)
- A minimum of six energy reports issued per year to the occupants of the dwelling. The energy reports should follow the issuing of an energy bill and reference the energy usage during that period.
- Reports include advice for saving energy
- Advice for saving energy is personalized to the recipient
- Contact information for final customers’ organisations, energy agencies or similar bodies, including website addresses, from which information may be obtained on available energy efficiency improvement measures e.g. SEAI’s ‘Power of One’ campaign, comparative end-user profiles and objective technical specifications for energy-using equipment.
Are you an Irish energy supplier that is eligible for the EEOS scheme? Would you like to achieve energy credits by quickly and easily setting up a home energy report-based engagement program? Then why not book a demo with us today?
Source ref
1https://www.seai.ie/business-and-public-sector/business-grants-and-supports/energy-efficiency-obligation-scheme/obligated-parties/
2https://www.seai.ie/data-and-insights/seai-statistics/key-statistics/residential