ISO 50001 for effective energy management

Energy management has been an urgent issue now that threat of rising energy prices and climate change has become more serious.  Reducing overall energy use, and especially fossil fuel consumption, means greater reliability and availability of energy and lower operating costs. More than just an environmental issue, energy management is equally an economic and social issue. In essence, energy management supports the three pillars of sustainability: economy, environment and society. Governments from around the world have taken energy conservation as part of their operational objectives that policies and businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

The United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) states that  countries in Asia Pacific account for more than half of the world's total resource use because the region has more than half the world's population and contributing nearly 30% of its gross domestic product (GDP). In its report, the UNEP urges the Asia Pacific region to implement the so-called 'green' industrial revolution stressing on the challenges as well as the opportunities for a transition to a low carbon and far more resource efficient green economy.

Standard for efficiency in energy use

In the wake of rising energy demand and supply, an equally growing movement is the use of international management system standards as tools to improve organisational efficiency and productivity.  Product standards have been around for a long time, but the use of International Standards to manage how an organisation functions, rather than the nature of their product, has been growing. 

 ISO is known for its world-famous suite of management system standards for quality (ISO 9000 series) and the environment (ISO 14000 series) respectively.  Both have successfully stimulated substantial, continual efficiency improvements within organisations around the globe. 

Several countries and regions have developed or are developing their own management standards, including China, Ireland, Republic of Korea, the USA and the European Union with prEN 16001, Energy management systems.  On  the international  front, the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has long recognised industry's need to mount an effective response to climate change and to the proliferation of national energy management standards, leading to a request that ISO consider undertaking work on an international energy management standard.

ISO had identified energy management as one of the top five fields for development of International Standards. Clearly, the first major users of such a standard would be industrial companies since industry is the single largest user of energy in the world.  Effective energy management in industry offers great potential for improvement, with expected long-term efficiency increases of 20 % or more.  With broad applicability across national economic sectors, this standard could influence up to 60 % of the world's energy demand.  The estimate is based on information provided in the section, "World Energy Demand  and Economic Outlook ", in the International Energy Outlook 2010, published by the US Energy Information Administration.  Although originally intended for industry, the standard will be usable by any type of organisation wishing to effectively manage its energy uses and efficiency.

Evolution of ISO 50001

The journey towards an international management system standard for energy began with the initiation of work on ISO 50001, Energy management. INike