Research · 100+ firms · 20 countries · Q1 2026

What does an EED energy audit actually include?

Legal minimum requirements, standard market deliverables, and what separates a compliant audit from an expensive one. Transport and industrial sector, EU-wide.

90%Minimum share of total energy consumption that must be covered by the audit (EU baseline, Art. 11)

Audit requirements in Malta

Not transposedPending — EC procedure ongoing
Threshold
≥ 10 TJ/year
Legislation
Energy Efficiency Regulations (L.N. 196 of 2014)
Full deadline details for Malta
Section 01

Three layers of audit scope

Not everything you pay for is legally required. Understanding the difference between what the law mandates, what the market delivers, and what auditors sell as premium is the starting point for any procurement decision.

Legal minimum

  • ·Energy balance covering ≥90% of total consumption (all carriers: fuel, electricity, heat)
  • ·Identification of main energy-consuming processes or systems
  • ·At least 2–3 improvement recommendations with estimated payback periods
  • ·Report submitted to national supervisory authority within deadline
  • ·Conducted by qualified or accredited expert

Standard market

  • ·3-year energy consumption history (invoices, meter data)
  • ·Structured energy balance per carrier and per process/area
  • ·Identification of 5–8 improvement measures
  • ·Basic economic analysis: investment cost, annual savings, simple payback period
  • ·Executive summary in regulator language
  • ·PDF report formatted for regulatory submission
  • ·Site visit in most countries

Extended (upsell)

  • ·NPV, IRR, BCR calculations per measure
  • ·On-site measurement campaigns (thermography, power analysis, compressed air)
  • ·Digital twin / simulation model of the facility
  • ·Energy monitoring plan and KPI dashboard
  • ·Subsidy application support
  • ·ESG / sustainability reporting integration
The legal minimum is achievable from existing data records. A transport company with 3 years of fleet card data (DKV, Shell, Orlen) has, in principle, all inputs needed for a legally compliant audit — no site visit to a truck depot adds material information.
Section 02

What data does the auditor actually need?

The single most important factor in audit quality and delivery speed is data availability — not the auditor's physical presence. Companies that prepare their data in advance reduce delivery time by 40–60%.

Transport companies

Required

  • Fuel invoices or fleet card data — 3 years (DKV, Shell, Orlen, Wex)
  • Vehicle register: make, model, year, fuel type, annual km
  • Fuel consumption per vehicle or per route (if available)
  • Load factor or utilisation rate
  • Electricity invoices for depot / office buildings

Optional

  • Telematics data (improves measure specificity)
  • Refrigeration unit fuel if applicable (reefer trucks)
  • AdBlue consumption (for SCR systems)

Industrial companies

Required

  • Electricity invoices — 3 years, ideally with 15-min interval data
  • Gas / heat invoices — 3 years per meter
  • Equipment list: motors, compressors, furnaces, HVAC (rated power)
  • Operating hours per production line or zone
  • Production output data (for intensity calculations)
  • Building floor plans or GIS data (area per zone)

Optional

  • Compressed air system specs (pressure, leakage rate)
  • Process heat diagrams (for heavy industry)

Optional items improve recommendation specificity but are not required for a compliant audit. Most companies can gather mandatory items in 3–5 business days.

Section 03

Transport vs industrial: what changes in the audit

Section 04

Legal scope requirements by country

The EU baseline (Art. 11, Directive 2023/1791) sets the floor. Member states may add requirements — stricter coverage thresholds, mandatory report formats, or auditor certification rules.

Section 05

What the market actually delivers

Based on direct engagement with 100+ audit firms across 20 EU countries (Q1 2026). This is what firms include in their standard commercial offer.

Section 06

Cost ranges by region

Prices for a transport sector client (~15 TJ annual consumption, diesel dominant, 1–3 locations). Q1 2026. Gross prices, excl. VAT.

EED audit from €1,900. Delivered remotely in under 21 days.

Effivera covers the full legal minimum scope for transport and industrial clients. No site visit required in eligible markets. Human-verified, regulator-ready report.

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