Introducing a new energy audit obligations for the large enterprises and public institutions before their ESCO contracts

Country / jurisdiction: Hungary · Year: 2015 · Status: In force · Level: National · Type: Voluntary

According to the Act on SME's, every company which is not qualified as an SME enterprise is obliged to carry out a complex energy audit every 4 years in accordance with the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.

Some specific characteristics of the Hungarian legislation are:

(1) Authority (Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority) and other public bodies to the task voluntarily (intermediate bodies) collectively provide the control and registration function.

(2) The intermediate organizations (for instance, the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers) would assist auditors to pass the compulsory exams by organizing the exams and holding direct communication with them. The Authority body would decide , based on an individual decision, on the energy auditing licensing for auditors.

(3) The registered energy auditor has to be an MSc. graduated engineer in field of energy. The graduated has to have 5 years of engineering experience and would have to pass the auditor exam.

(4) Authority may check and sanction the companies, the auditors, the registration bodies and the qualities of the energy audits.

(5) Exemptions from the obligation: the existence of ISO 50001 certification or by linked enterprises to be lower consumption than 5% of the biggest consumption of a company within the company group.

(6) The quality of own energy inspection by ISO 50001 is not verified and not sanctioned by the authority. The existence of an ISO 50001 certificate is sufficient criteria to get existence. So it is consciously encouraging the adoption of the ISO 50001

(7) The owners of the buildings fundamentally obliged, but jointly and severally tenant also would be obliged if it had more than 50% leased part in the building.

Additional new requirement that public institutions are also required to be made energy audits before the conclusion of an ESCO agreement.

Official source: http://www.mekh.hu/energiahatekonysag