How to Develop an Energy Management System for ISO Compliance

An effective energy management system has intrinsic benefits, such as reducing energy costs and lowering emissions, but ISO 50001 takes this a step further by optimizing your energy management system and enhancing the benefits it delivers. 

The ISO Energy Management System certification is a voluntary international standard that’s available to all businesses, regardless of size or industry. So, whether you’re concerned with aerospace supply chain management, carbon credit verification, or you simply want to reduce your energy bills, ISO 50001 could be right for your business!

However, there are stringent requirements associated with the certification, so you’ll need to ensure that your energy management system meets certain criteria if you want to obtain the ISO 50001 certification. Here, we look at the critical steps you need to take to develop an energy management system for ISO compliance:

Assemble a Team 

Assigning a dedicated team to energy management and tasking them with implementing an ISO-compliant energy management system is a good way to ensure accountability and increases the likelihood of you successfully acquiring your ISO certification. 

Team members may wish to obtain an internal auditor certificate so that they can undertake regulatory compliance audits or in-house assessments, for example. Furthermore, employees with existing relevant skill sets, such as energy managers or facilities managers, may be able to bring valuable experience and insights to the table. 

Assess Baseline Performance

Before you begin making changes to your energy management processes, be sure to assess your baseline performance. This may identify existing issues with your energy management, such as difficulties in accurately managing energy consumption. If so, record these issues so that they can be addressed as you implement new energy management processes.

In the meantime, examine your organization’s current energy management procedures and formalize them so that they can be refined and improved.

Develop an Energy-Efficiency Policy

As you implement a new energy management system, you’ll want to ensure that you’re continually increasing energy efficiency across your organization. By setting out an energy-efficiency policy at the early stages, you’ll be consistently reminded of your goal. This will keep your team on track and ensure that every action taken contributes to the overriding objective of increasing energy efficiency. 

Set Targets and Objectives

Now you know what your new energy management policy is, you’ll be able to set clear, measurable targets and objectives that will enable you to achieve your goals. Increasing energy efficiency by 20% over a 2-year period or reducing CO2 emissions in accordance with regulatory requirements may be two of your energy management targets, for example. 

As always, it’s important to devise detailed and definable targets that support a larger objective, so that success can be accurately measured and monitored. 

Make Data-Driven Decisions

When it comes to energy management, there is plenty of data you’ll need to consider. While this may seem overwhelming at first, data actually gives you all of the information you need as the building blocks for an ISO-compliant energy management system. 

From measuring your in-house electricity usage to assessing the results of environmental air quality testing, for example, data provides you with critical information that will inform your energy management policy and subsequent actions. 

Gather Accurate Results

Although data-driven decision-making can deliver exceptional results, it’s vital that the data you’re basing your decisions on is accurate. This may mean that you will need to implement new ways of measuring energy usage and environmental savings, depending on how accurate your current processes are. 

Fortunately, technology is making it easier than ever to gather and analyze accurate data. For example, IoT devices can monitor energy usage in real-time and provide you with up-to-date information whenever it’s needed. 

With this level of accuracy, you can ensure that you’re able to achieve meaningful results and verify the impact that your new energy management system is having on your organization and the environment.

Review the Efficacy of the Policy

Setting clear targets and objectives, making data-driven decisions, and gathering accurate results gives you an opportunity to see how effective your new energy management policy is. At this stage, you’ll still have time to make changes, if they’re required, so be sure to review the efficacy of the policy in detail. 

Internal audits can be an effective way to do this, as you’ll be able to take a rigorous approach to assessing your policy and processes and use the results to make enhancements. Additionally, external, third-party audits can be beneficial as they offer an independent and unbiased assessment that can be used as the basis for subsequent improvements. 

Commit to Continual Optimization

The ISO 50001 certification isn’t designed to encourage organizations to make one-time changes to their energy management policies. Instead, ISO 50001 requires that certificate holders consistently improve their energy management to deliver optimal results. 

Indeed, an ISO-compliant energy management system should have in-built processes to facilitate the continual improvement of energy management. Whether it’s routine air emissions testing and increasing use of renewable power, or regular in-house audits and automated energy monitoring, there are a variety of ways you can continually enhance your energy management system.

What Are the Benefits of ISO 50001?

As energy and the environment becomes increasingly important to consumers, businesses are under unprecedented pressure to increase energy efficiency. Furthermore, existing, and upcoming regulations mean that companies are being forced to reduce emissions and decrease their reliance on fossil fuels. 

As a result, today’s organizations must be mindful of their energy consumption and take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. To ensure transparency, having accurate systems in place to monitor, measure, and reduce energy usage is going to be critical to keeping stakeholders and target audiences satisfied in the short and long-term future. 

While many businesses are already benefiting from endorsements, such as carbon offset verification certification or ESG certification for companies, the recognition and excellence associated with ISO 50001 sets it apart and ensures it’s widely regarded as the most prestigious form of energy management certification.  

To learn more about the benefits of ISO 50001 certification or to find out how your organization can develop an ISO-compliant energy management system, contact QAS International now on 020 3198 9788.