ECCBS010 - Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Behavioural Research

**Please note this is an Award Notice not a call for competition** This contract has been awarded via Energy and Climate Change Behavioural Science Framework Agreement. Reference: CR20116.

Brief description of requirement A 2020 Post-Implementation Review (PIR) of the scheme2 found that whilst 90% of organisations in the evaluation reported having planned or implemented an energy efficiency measure, participants did not always act upon energy savings opportunities identified through their audits, and many perceived ESOS as purely a compliance activity.

The PIR highlighted several areas where ESOS could be strengthened and improved, which resulted in a consultation (July-September 2021) into strengthening the scheme. The specific aims of improving the scheme are: 1. To increase the number of ESOS participants that take action to reduce energy use by raising the quality of their ESOS audit; 2. To increase the carbon and cost savings from ESOS by increasing the number and scope of ESOS recommendations taken up by participants; 3. To ensure that ESOS recommendations are consistent with the UK's net zero commitments.

This project is seeking to understand whether behaviourally informed interventions could be used to achieve the desired energy efficiency outcomes, as opposed to regulation to require that participants act on recommendations.

This research will provide timely evidence to inform what action is taken from the consultation. This is a joint project with the Better Regulation Executive (BRE), who work closely with teams across Government to encourage the use of non-regulatory measures to achieve policy outcomes.

This research seeks to address aims 1 and 2: to improve the quality of energy audits and increase the number and scope of ESOS recommendations taken up by participants. Currently the content and the format of the ESOS report is at the discretion of ESOS lead assessors rather than participants.

Despite the importance of audit quality in delivering savings for participating businesses, the ESOS evaluation research and the PIR identified discrepancies in the quality of audits and the presentation of recommendations within ESOS reports.