Prepared for Expert Group Meeting: Using Energy Management Standards to stimulate persistent application of Energy Efficiency in Industry, Vienna, Austria, March 21-22, 2007

Energy management standards provide a viable policy mechanism for encouraging energy efficiency in industrial facilities. Several energy management standards currently exist (Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, United States) and others are planned (China). This issues paper presents the current status of energy management standards development internationally, including an analysis of their shared features and differences, in terms of content, promulgation, and implementation. The purpose of the analysis is to describe the current state of “best practices” for this emerging area of energy efficiency policymaking and to suggest next steps toward the creation of a truly international energy management standard that is consistent with the ISO principles of measurement, documentation, and continuous improvement.