Pursuant to Section 10, Paragraph one of the Energy Efficiency Law, a large enterprise is a merchant:

  • Which employs more than 249 employees; or
  • Whose turnover of the reporting year exceeds EUR 50 million and the annual balance sheet total is EUR 43 million.

The merchant must comply with this condition for two consecutive reporting periods, and only then it is included in the list of large enterprises. An enterprise is removed from the list of large enterprises if it fails to comply with the condition for the large enterprise for two consecutive periods.

The Central Statistical Bureau collects information regarding the enterprises which comply with the condition for large enterprises by 1 December each year using data from the last approved reporting period of an enterprise. The 2020 list of large enterprises has been created by using data from the reporting periods 2018 and 2019 and contains 270 enterprises out of which 11 enterprises have been included in the list for the first time.

Enterprises which have been included in the list of large enterprises for the first time must fulfil specific obligations arising from the Law:

  • Carry out an energy audit or introduce a certified energy management system within a year after their listing;
  • Notify the State Construction Control Bureau (SCCB) within 30 days after carrying out an energy audit or introducing a certified energy management system or supplemented environmental management system and indicate at least three energy efficiency improvement measures with the greatest assessed energy savings or economic returns by completing a form in accordance with Annex 5 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668 of 11 October 2016, Regulations Regarding the Energy Efficiency Monitoring and Applicable Energy Management System Standard (hereinafter – the Cabinet Regulation No. 668);
  • In accordance with Annex 2 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668, submit each year by 1 November an annual report on the energy efficiency improvement measures introduced and energy savings achieved as a result of them.

 

The SCCB draws attention to Section 10, Paragraph three of the Law which stipulates that an energy audit in large enterprises may be carried out by an energy auditor of enterprises in compliance with the requirements of laws and regulations. In the case where 90 % or more of the total final energy consumption of a large enterprise are consumed in buildings and the respective consumption is not related to the ensuring of the production process, Section 10, Paragraph 4.1 of the Law prescribes that an energy audit may also be carried out by an independent expert in the field of energy performance of buildings in compliance with the requirements of laws and regulations regarding ensuring of energy performance of buildings.

Accredited energy auditors of enterprises can be found on the website of the Latvian National Accreditation Bureau at www.latak.gov.lv under “Accredited institutions”. The list of entitled independent experts in the field of energy performance of buildings is available on the website of the Building Information System at www.bis.gov.lv under “Registers”.

The SCCB points out that if an energy audit report, certification of an energy management system or supplemented environmental management system of a merchant expires and the merchant qualifies for the status of a large enterprise, the merchant must re-conduct the energy audit of enterprise or re-certify the energy management system or supplemented environmental management system. After re-conducting the energy audit or re-certifying the merchant should inform the SCCB by submitting a completed form according to Annex 5 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668.

The State Construction Control Bureau (SCCB) has compiled the 2020 list of large electricity consumers which contains merchants that correspond to the criteria for a large electricity consumer according to the data on electricity consumption in 2019 and 2020 provided by distribution system operators.

In 2020, a total of 1090 merchants qualified for the status of a large electricity consumer. If an energy audit has been carried out for a merchant, a certified energy management system or supplemented environmental management system has been introduced, or an approved balance sheet for electrical energy of an enterprise has been submitted as at the day of the publication of the list, it is indicated in the list of large electricity consumers that requirements of the Law have been complied with (X).

List of large electricity consumers

The SCCB will send an informative letter to the large electricity consumers that have been included in the list for the first time describing requirements and obligations under the Law in detail.

Pursuant to Section 12, Paragraph one of the Law, the large electricity consumer is a merchant whose annual electricity consumption exceeds 500 MWh for two consecutive calendar years. The respective criterion for the large electricity consumer does not apply to the following:

  • Distribution system operators who have a licence for the distribution of electricity and who have been included in the list of licences of distribution system operators;
  • Managers of residential buildings who have been registered with the Register of Managers of Residential Buildings on the Building Information System.

System operators provide the SCCB with the information about the electricity consumption data of users each year by 31 December, in accordance with Section 12, Paragraph nine of the Law.

A merchant acquires the status of a large electricity consumer from the moment it is included in the list of large electricity consumers, in accordance with Section 12, Paragraph thirteen of the Energy Efficiency Law.

Enterprises which have been included in the list of large electricity consumers for the first time must fulfil specific obligations arising from the Law:

  • Introduce a certified energy management system within a year after their listing or carry out an energy audit* by 30 November of the following year;
  • Notify the SCCB within 30 days after carrying out an energy audit or introducing a certified energy management system or supplemented environmental management system and indicate at least three energy efficiency improvement measures with the greatest assessed energy savings or economic returns by completing a form in accordance with Annex 5 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668 of 11 October 2016, Regulations Regarding the Energy Efficiency Monitoring and Applicable Energy Management System Standard (hereinafter – the Cabinet Regulation No. 668);

 

  • In accordance with Annex 2 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668, submit each year by 1 November an annual report on the energy efficiency improvement measures introduced and energy savings achieved as a result of them.

 

*An energy audit for large electricity consumers, unless they are large enterprises, may be carried out by an independent expert in the field of energy performance of buildings or energy auditor of enterprises, in accordance with Section 11 of the Law.

Accredited energy auditors of enterprises can be found on the website of the Latvian National Accreditation Bureau at www.latak.gov.lv under “Accredited institutions”. The list of entitled independent experts in the field of energy performance of buildings is available on the website of the Building Information System at www.bis.gov.lv under “Registers”.

The Bureau points out that if an energy audit report, certification of an energy management system or supplemented environmental management system of a merchant expires and the merchant qualifies for the status of a large electricity consumer, the merchant must re-conduct the energy audit of enterprise or re-certify the energy management system or supplemented environmental management system. After re-conducting the energy audit or re-certifying the merchant should inform the SCCB by submitting a completed form according to Annex 5 to the Cabinet Regulation No. 668.

 

Balance sheet for electrical energy

In cases where a large electricity consumer transfers electricity to sub-users, the large electricity consumer may confirm the volume of electricity transferred to a specific sub-user submitting a balance sheet for electrical energy approved by the SCCB’s energy auditor. The balance sheet for electrical energy is to be submitted to the SCCB before 1 March of the current year. It should indicate distribution of electricity consumption according to the form below. The balance sheet of the large electricity consumer may be approved by an energy auditor of enterprises or independent expert in the field of energy performance of buildings.

The difference between a large enterprise and a large electricity consumer

Large enterprises VS Large Electricity Consumes

Competence and responsibility of energy auditors of enterprises and independent experts in the field of energy performance of buildings

Energy audit of an enterprise VS energy audit of a building

 

Since 1 January 2020, the State Construction Control Bureau has been:

  1. Ensuring monitoring of energy efficiency, maintaining an energy efficiency monitoring system, and also recording energy savings;
  2. Administering the energy efficiency obligation scheme;
  3. Developing and maintaining an energy savings catalogue;
  4. Supervising fulfilment of the obligation to introduce an energy management system in national authorities and local governments;
  5. Entering into voluntary agreements with organisations representing merchants, merchants, and local governments on energy efficiency improvement and supervising their fulfilment;
  6. Maintaining the Register of Energy Audit Reports of Enterprises and administering reports submitted;
  7. Developing and maintaining the Register of Energy Efficiency Service Providers;
  8. Ensuring control over fulfilment of mandatory obligations of energy audits and energy management of large electricity consumers and large enterprises and compiling reports on the measures taken;
  9. Administering the energy efficiency duty;
  10. Determining the average energy performance indicator for heating consumption in Latvia;
  11. Drawing up a list of public buildings.

 

Laws and regulations:

Energy Efficiency Law
Cabinet Regulation No. 226 of 25 April 2017, Regulations Regarding the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme
Cabinet Regulation No. 221 of 25 April 2017, Regulations Regarding the Procedures by which Contributions are Made in Energy Efficiency Funds, and their Amount, as well as the Use of the Resources of the Energy Efficiency Fund
Cabinet Regulation No. 202 of 11 April 2017, Regulations Regarding the Amount of Energy Efficiency Duty and the Procedures for Its Calculation, Application, Payment and Control
Cabinet Regulation No. 669 of 11 October 2016, Procedures for Concluding and Supervising a Voluntary Agreement on Energy Efficiency Improvement
Cabinet Regulation No. 668 of 11 October 2016, Regulations Regarding the Energy Efficiency Monitoring and Applicable Energy Management System Standard
Cabinet Regulation No. 487 of 26 July 2016, Regulations Regarding Energy Audit of Enterprises
Cabinet Regulation No. 383 of 9 July 2013, Regulations Regarding Energy Certification of Buildings
Cabinet Regulation No. 531 of 21 August 2018, Regulations Regarding Assessment of the Competence of Independent Experts and Monitoring of Professional Activity Thereof in the Field of Energy Performance of Buildings

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