Mandatory Energy Audits - Article 8(4)

On 29 January, the Danish Government presented a Bill to the Danish Parliament containing the general rules for the implementation of the Directive requirement for mandatory energy audits, Article 8(4). The Act was adopted by the Danish Parliament on 1 April 2014. It contains an obligation for enterprises to carry out a mandatory energy audit every fourth year. The enterprise can also satisfy the obligation by using and maintaining a certified energy or environmental management system that includes an energy audit as part of the management system.

 

The Act also provides a legal basis for the Minister for Climate, Energy and Buildings to set detailed rules on, among other things, the content of energy audits and qualification requirements for the experts who are to carry out the energy audit.

 

The Act obliges large enterprises to have an energy audit carried out independently by qualified experts and to submit documentation of the energy audit performed. The energy audit must be carried out at least every fourth year, calculated from the date of the preceding energy audit.

 

As the Act indicates, the first energy audits must be completed no later than 5 December 2015. Energy audits that satisfy the minimum requirements and have been carried since 4 December 2012, which is when the Energy Efficiency Directive entered into force, count towards the enterprise fulfilment of the requirement. This means, for example, that if a large enterprise had an energy audit carried out on 27 June 2013, the next energy audit must be carried out no later than 27 June 2017.

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