Energy audits are designed to improveenergy and CO2efficiency, particularly in the freight transport sector, which is a major emitter. Created to define performance indicators and identify solutions for improving them, it enables an action plan to be drawn up.
In accordance with Law n°2013-619 of July 16, 2013 resulting from the transposition of Article 8 of European Directive 2012/27, companies with more than 250 employees must carry out these energy audits. Coming into force on July 1, 2014, it concerns activities related to: buildings, industrial processes and the transport of goods and/or people.
On November 16, 2015, the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy granted large companies an additional seven months to complete their energy audits, i.e. until June 30, 2016. Indeed, many companies found themselves in a critical situation because they had not had the time or had not been informed of the regulatory obligation to carry out this audit, a few weeks before the deadline, which could influence the quality of the audits.
For transport organizations, these few months gained represented an opportunity to implement the most appropriate option for carrying out a quality audit and choosing ISO 50001 certification for their energy management system.
In response to mandatory energy audits, TK'Blue Agency enables companies to analyze their energy performance by mode of transport. By accurately measuring and tracking energy consumption, and steering their action plans, companies benefit from independent, transparent and cost-effective calculations.
According to the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, the implementation of this energy audit represents a real opportunity for the companies concerned: its return on investment is estimated to take between 3 and 10 years, and to generate savings of between 1% and 6% on consumption. Companies are therefore strongly encouraged to set up an energy audit to better manage their energy consumption... and make substantial savings!
However, even if the audit provides a precise snapshot of transport-related energy consumption and identifies potential sources of savings, this method is said to be too generalist and lacks follow-up once the recommendations have been made.
For some experts, the key to reducing energy consumption lies in the ability to recommend changes in the modes of transport used, and then to calculate the ROI. It is also a question of estimating equipment changes and carrying out a technical analysis of driver and sales force schedules, which will enable them to optimize their routes and consequently fuel consumption.
For a company specializing in the transport of goods, the key is to optimize its flows. However, to date, very few of them have been able to take advantage of audits to set up a process for reducing their energy consumption.
Today, energy audits only enable large companies to comply with regulations, with a view to optimizing their energy consumption... which remains to be organized!