Energy is vital for all modern businesses especially today when geopolitical events can rapidly disrupt energy supplies threatening business continuity and driving up costs. Also, world energy consumption continues to rise: it has more than doubled in the last 40 years and is projected to increase a further 30% by 2040. Additionally, societal demands for reductions in climate changing emissions are growing, where reduced use of fossil fuels is a key aspect.
Against that backdrop, managing energy use and energy consumption has become an important goal for businesses and organizations. Fortunately there is an answer - ISO 50001 Energy management system is a strategic tool that helps put in place an energy management system (EnMS) and ensure more efficient and effective energy use.
ISO 50001 gives organizations a recognized framework for developing an effective energy management system with the aim to improve energy performance. Like other ISO management system standards, it follows the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” process for continual improvement and is applicable to any size or type of organisation.
What benefits can be expected?
An EnMS helps organizations better manage their energy use, thus improving productivity. It involves developing and implementing an energy policy, setting achievable targets for energy use and energy consumption, and designing action plans to reach them and measure progress. This might include implementing new energy-efficient technologies, reducing energy waste or improving current processes to cut energy costs.
Some of the possible benefits include:
- ISO 50001 assists facilities in evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies and in improving energy efficiency, energy use and consumption. It also creates transparency and facilitates communication on the management of energy resources.
- It promotes energy management best practices and behaviours
- Improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, use and energy consumption. Extent of improvements typically vary based on factors such as industry sector and current energy usage. There are normally two ways for improving energy performance, one is through energy performance improvement actions, while the other one is through the implementation of energy performance improvement technologies. Technological changes normally tend to provide significant savings, which help organizations to achieve their goals.
- Continual improvement of the energy management systems. Understanding how changes can improve energy management will evolve over time opening up new opportunities for further efficiencies.
- Ensuring measurement, documentation, reporting and benchmarking of energy consumption. This is important for commercial transparency and has already become a mandatory requirement in some countries as regulations on energy efficiency advance. Furthermore, knowledge of energy use will allow for ensuring continuity of energy supply through informed contracting.
- Credible market communication about energy performance efforts.
- Being certified to ISO 50001 allows an organisation to demonstrate its commitment to energy efficiency at all stages of its processes. Accurate representation of the energy footprint of a product or service aids transparency.
- Improve energy performance through better use of energy-intensive assets. ISO 50001 certification will give managers and staff greater awareness of the importance of energy management and their input can help reduce use and cost.
- Maximize use of energy resources and energy-related assets – reduce costs and consumption and improve competitiveness. An adequate implementation of actions and technologies for improving energy performance can provide a clear framework to trace and validate the reduction in energy costs and subsequently in the different energy bills (electricity, diesel, gas, etc).
- Improved energy performance reduces environmental impact by contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improving ecological footprint
- Competitive advantage in the market as many companies prefer working with an environmental conscious company.
- Improves environmental footprint through the consideration of energy performance in the purchase of products, processes and/or services, including procurement of energy. This could be for example considering energy labels in the purchase of a pump, as well as considering the purchase of electricity produced from renewable sources such as wind or solar.
- Helps organization to consider energy performance in the design and renovation of facilities, process and/or services. This could be for example, the installation of electrical charge stations in parking areas.
- Some countries have established beneficial financial incentives for companies certified to ISO 50001.
Preparing for ISO 50001 certification
- After having decided to implement an energy management system there are certain steps to get you started. Some tips have proven invaluable to companies seeking certification. As you set out, keep these in mind:
- Establish an adequate energy review and planning process that includes all types of energy sources and energy uses.
- Determine significant energy uses and identify energy performance improvement opportunities.
- Determine a baseline (reference year) and set energy performance indicators.
- Implement identified actions for improving energy performance and establish objectives and energy targets,
- To check whether the objectives and targets are fully on track, and act as required.
- Continually improve energy management by reviewing your energy use, objectives & targets and measure results obtained.
