ISO 50001 : Energy Management Systems : A Driver for Continual Improvement of Energy Performance

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has moved ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems to Final Draft International Standard (FDIS), to be published on June 15, 2011. ISO 50001 can play a unique role in accelerating and deepening improvements in energy performance in the industrial sector because of its emphasis on continual improvement both of energy performance as demonstrated by data collection and analysis and of the energy management system. Results from application of similar national energy management standards and the draft ISO 50001 have demonstrated facility-wide improvements in energy intensity, primarily from operating improvements, of 5-15%. ISO 50001 is applicable in all sectors. This paper explores some valuable insights for the industrial sector based on the methodologies used in the building sector. ISO 50001 requires an energy planning process initiated by top management. The planning process drives data collection and analysis of energy use and consumption. This includes the development of energy baseline(s), which are used in conjunction with Energy Performance Indicators (EnPIs), to demonstrate energy performance. These EnPIs are developed to represent the organization at several levels including but not limited to, the facility, the energy system level, the processes, and the equipment level. The paper concludes by noting the importance of requiring continual improvement in ISO 5000