ISO 50001: linking technical energy management with management systems

Historical analysis of ISO 50001:2011 and programmes during 2006–2011. The 2011 edition was superseded by ISO 50001:2018; use the applicable edition and amendments for present-day implementation.

Development of ISO 50001:2011

Looking at the standard's development, national technical standards for energy management emerged in the 2000s. In 2007, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) convened an initial meeting on an international energy-management standard and submitted a proposal to ISO as a stakeholder. ISO accepted the request, and its Project Committee 242 on Energy Management (ISO/PC 242) first met in Arlington, Virginia, USA, in 2008. The article described participation by 35 countries, an important drafting role for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and contributions from UNIDO and the World Energy Council (WEC). Following development of the final draft international standard, ISO 50001:2011 was published in June 2011.

Combining management systems and technical measures

The purpose was to provide organisations with requirements and guidance for energy management. Energy-management standards address strategy, energy supply, procurement of energy-using equipment and systems, energy use and related processes. They also cover measurement of consumption and systems for recording, reporting and verifying continual improvement. Combining technical energy management with strategic management offers a practical way to improve efficiency, reduce costs and support environmental performance, as illustrated in Figure 1 below:

Figure 1: Energy-management processes

Energy-saving programme models during 2006–2011

The article reviewed Vietnamese energy-saving programmes applied by organisations during 2006-2011, including:

      1. The PECSME energy-saving programme model.

      2. The GERIAP energy-saving programme model.

      3. The AEMAS energy-saving programme model.

The problem

Technical solutions and technology changes alone are not sufficient to sustain energy savings, drive continual improvement or create a strategic energy-management plan.

The proposed solution

Implement an energy management system using ISO 50001:2011, which included the elements needed to support continual improvement, maintain savings from energy projects and develop a strategic approach to energy management. 

Developing and sustaining an EnMS

The development of an EnMS from energy-saving programme models and ISO 50001 is illustrated in Figure 2 below:

Diagram text

• Promote energy awareness.
• Deliver training courses.
• Select an appropriate energy-saving model.
• Provide consulting on the enterprise energy management system.
• Certify the energy management system.

The diagram asks: Why do energy-saving programmes struggle to remain sustainable? Is establishing an effective enterprise energy management system a challenge?

The article argued that such models primarily offered energy-saving measures to achieve project targets, but that long-term results required a continuing management framework. It presented an EnMS based on ISO 50001:2011, with continual improvement at its core, as a way to sustain those results. It also identified two barriers: limited confidence among business leaders in the value and durability of an EnMS, and a shortage of technical energy specialists. In the original context, some managers believed that their quality-management and environmental-management systems were already ineffective and feared that an EnMS would add another administrative burden. The article therefore stressed integrating technical improvement with an effective management system.

ISO 50001:2018 — ISO