78% believe that energy management is either important or very important to their senior management team - with the key driver being to reduce cost
Only 50% rate their energy management practices as good or very good.
65% do not have an energy management policy or conduct regular energy audits

In today’s economic climate with overheads under the microscope as never before, maximising energy efficiency offers the following benefits.

Minimising costs without impacting on performance
Reducing environmental impact
Complying with legislation
Improving reputation with key stakeholders

Achieving these objectives demands a structured organisation-wide approach – ie an Energy Management System (EMS).

ISO 50001 is the first international EMS standard and is designed to help organisations establish the systems and processes necessary to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. It is very similar to BS EN 16001 which will be phased out by mid 2012.

It specifies requirements for an energy management system to develop and implement policy and objectives taking into account significant energy aspects and legal requirements.

ISO 50001 is ideal for organisations that already have ISO 9001 – the world’s most established Quality Management standard – or the Environmental Management System standard ISO 14001 – because they are fully compatible and use the same methodology. Thus, documentation can be added to existing systems and internal auditors can be up-skilled accordingly.

Whilst, in theory, the Environmental Management System standard ISO 14001 can be used to manage energy in parallel with all other environmental impacts, its methodologies are not sufficient to deal adequately with the complexities of energy/carbon reduction – hence the need for ISO 50001.

“… 16001 (and ISO 50001) is about ‘doing’ rather than ‘not doing’, which 14001’s preventative actions can feel like. It’s been a breath of fresh air!”
Brian Haslam, SHEQ Manager, Camfil Ltd

Organisations with ISO 9001 that have a top priority of improving energy management to reduce carbon emissions and/or have minimal other environmental impacts may opt for ISO 50001 and not need ISO 14001.

The BSI Energy Reduction Verification (ERV) Kitemark is a way of certifying success in energy/carbon reduction. As one of the alternatives to the Carbon Trust Standard it is a CRC Early Action Metric. It is based on elements of ISO 50001 and it is possible to apply for ISO 50001 accreditation, the Kitemark or both.

BSI logo The Green Consultancy is an Associate Consultancy of the BSI and provides consultancy support, training and monitoring on all Energy and Environmental Management System standards plus the BSI ERV Kitemark, Carbon Trust Standard and other standards.

In particular, we can:

Carry out a Gap Analysis to identify what needs to be done to meet ISO 50001
Help build an Energy Management System or upgrade an existing one to ISO 50001
Train or mentor staff and internal auditors to ISO 50001
Up-skill ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 internal auditors to ISO 50001
Carry out an Investment Grade Energy Efficiency Audit to identify energy/carbon reduction opportunities.
Help bring about the behavioural change needed to embed energy efficiency in your organisation.

For your no obligation quote, or to discuss your requirements, please contact Michael Webb or phone him on 08450 176299.

Benefits

ISO 50001 enables organisations to:

Drive down energy consumption and carbon emissions in a systematic way with greater management focus and commitment
Establish, implement, maintain and improve an energy management system
Train, raise awareness and provide continuity through changes of personnel
Obtain certification of the EMS or make a self-evaluation and self-declaration of conformance with the standard
Demonstrate energy/carbon performance to key stakeholders such as staff, customers, suppliers and shareholders

“… brings the issues into a tighter, clearer focus”
Mark Cassidy, Robert Wiseman Dairies

“… it calls for accountability from middle management ... responsibility becomes shared and systematic, and doesn’t rely solely on one individual”
James Wright, Virgin Trains

“… authority, responsibility and activity will be formalised … informing the perception of our customers"
Brian Morgan, SKF

“… reassurance that we are on the right track … greater degree of rigour and more robust systems …raising the profile internally”
Paul Kennedy, City of London Corporation

The BSI Energy Reduction Verification Kitemark goes one step further by demonstrating to stakeholders that significant annual energy/carbon reductions are consistently being achieved. The BSI Kitemark has ‘superbrand’ status.

Software

The Green Consultancy can build you a secure, web-based, paperless management system based on a framework developed by one of our consultants who sat on the BS EN 16001 drafting committee. This approach makes the whole exercise much more practical and affordable.

One of the key enhancements in ISO 50001 compared with ISO 14001 is its stipulations on monitoring and the detection of exceptions. The same consultant is a leading authority on energy monitoring and targeting, which puts us in an unrivalled position to support that aspect of your work – including, if needed, the provision of software tools.

Certification

Certification options are:

No certification – the energy reduction benefits with minimum cost
Self declaration of conformity – more rigorous based on internal audit
External certification (separately or at reduced cost with ISO 14001) – most credible with stakeholders

For your no obligation quote, or to discuss your requirements, please contact Michael Webb or phone him on 08450 176299.