A Quick Guide to ISO 50001, the Energy Management System Standard

Energy is a topic that is on everyone’s agenda, from governments who are eager to support energy efficient drives via legislation and voluntary schemes, to organisations of all sizes who want to manage and reduce their energy consumption due to the increased energy costs.

The ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems (EnMS) standard has been developed to enable this energy management drive.

Figure 1. Managing and reducing energy consumption

The Background to ISO 50001

In response to a request from The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), a group was set up in 2008 by the International Standards Committee (ISO) with a mission to create an energy management systems standard.

It comprised of the World Energy Council (WEC), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT).

What is ISO 50001?

ISO 50001 was launched in June 2011, and is the international EnMS standard. Its aim is to offer a framework and guidance to monitor, control, and reduce energy consumption.

Although it is written to be compatible with the Quality Management System, ISO 9001, and the Environmental Management System, ISO 14001, standards, ISO 50001 is more of a performance standard, requiring an improvement in energy performance and a decrease in energy usage.

The standard does not have any reduction targets, it is left to each organisation to set its own targets and to establish an EnMS in order to constantly enhance performance.

Improved performance relies upon the determination of a baseline to measure future reduction and performance against. It is possible to measure the baseline in the most appropriate and significant way to the organisation, for example: per employee, per unit, or per m². This should be one of the first areas of focus when setting the EnMS.

How Does ISO 50001 Differ from ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 considers energy from the perspective of environmental impact, but it does not stress on energy reduction. This aspect is taken into consideration by ISO 50001, and its total focus is on energy.

The standard also promotes gaining knowledge via the systematic measurement of energy, which offers data on which plant/building/operational activity consumes the most energy and when (a trend analysis).

This allows an organisation to obtain better security concerning its energy supply as it can understand its own energy risk exposure. It can also detect areas that are more at risk.

This subsequently impacts energy procurement - which areas of the business to invest in first as they have the maximum risk and/or provide the greatest energy savings.

For organisations that already have an Environmental Management System, the EnMS implementation will be uncomplicated as several of the management systems and practices will already be in place.

Although, it is not mandatory to have ISO 14001 before ISO 50001 is adopted, as ISO 50001 is a standalone standard and can be adopted regardless of any management systems that already exist.

Using ISO 50001 to Comply with ESOS

An ISO 50001 Energy Management System certified by an accredited certification body is considered the cleanest route to conform to the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) proposed by the UK Government.

How Do We Set Up an Energy Management System?

Implementing any management system needs to be a group effort from all levels of the organisation. The commitment of senior management is particularly crucial in order to generate an energy policy and to create targets, objectives, and action plans for nonstop improvement.

Similar to ISO 14001, ISO 50001 follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act method:

• Plan – review energy consumption, determine baselines, set objectives, targets and action plans, and create an energy policy
• Do – put all plans into action
• Check – consistently monitor performance against the objectives, action plans, targets, and energy policy
• Act – learn from past performance and take the required actions to enhance energy performance and the EnMS on a continuous basis

What Value Does Certification to ISO 50001 add to the ENMS?

• Certification to ISO 50001 and the structured routine assessment rendered by an independent third party, such as Lucideon, will guarantee that an organisation’s EnMS is maintained and efficiently monitored, enhancing both its efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation’s processes.
• Environmentally-aware organisations choose to do business with like-minded companies who can show a commitment via globally recognised standards such as ISO 50001. When certified to ISO 50001, it proves to stakeholders the commitment a company has towards decreasing energy and lowering its impact on the environment.
• Constant evaluation from a stringent certification body guarantees that the EnMS is functioning well, offering a basis for repeated enhancement of energy performance.

What are the Benefits to an Organization?

Individual organisations cannot control energy prices, government policies or the global economy, but they can improve the way they manage energy in the here and now. Improved energy performance can provide rapid benefits for an organisation by maximizing the use of its energy sources and energy-related assets, thus reducing both energy cost and consumption. The organisation will also make positive contributions toward reducing depletion of energy resources and mitigating worldwide effects of energy use, such as global warming.

Rob Steele, ISO Secretary-General

• A quantitative baseline of energy use can be determined and long-term goals can be fixed to constantly decrease consumption, which reduces energy costs
• Existing energy-consuming assets can be increased and quality management behaviours and best practices developed
• Compliance with ESOS
• Trust, transparency, and communication to stakeholders throughout all levels of the company, through active supervision of energy resources and ownership
• Quantitative testing of the effect of new energy-efficient technologies upon the organisation is enabled
• New business can be secured by being very competitive in the market and by having improved green credentials, which ultimately enhance brand image and reputation to both hold on to customers and to gain new ones. Possessing the energy information, with a formal energy policy and objectives, helps the procurement process and fulfils growing customer demands for environmental transparency and a dedication to sustainability.
• ISO 50001 offers management strategies to enhance energy performance and efficiency. This decreases costs and enables a company to become more competitive, enhance environmental performance, and be able to obtain more business. Owning the certificate validates the company’s energy management commitment and green credentials, and promotes its positive image.

Who Has Benefited?

Lucideon has certified many Energy Management Systems for companies from a broad range of industry sectors since the launch of the standard.

The following are some of companies that have been EnMS certified by Lucideon:

• National University of Ireland, Galway
• Ibstock Brick Ltd
• Longcliffe Quarries Ltd
• Carbery Food Ingredients Ltd
• Keele University
• University of Reading
• Department of Energy & Climate Change

Conclusion

Possessing an EnMS is commercially a sensible option. When energy usage is well managed, energy performance can be constantly monitored and enhanced, resulting in reduced usage, cost reduction, and signaling to stakeholders that a particular organisation is environmentally friendly and green conscious.

Lucideon can assist any organisation considering ISO 50001. The company is capable of assessing the organisation’s existing system(s) against the parameters of ISO 50001, and conducting a gap analysis to detect areas of improvement.

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Lucideon CICS.

For more information on this source, please visit Lucideon CICS.