ISO 50001 Energy management systems

Courtesy: ISO 50001 Energy management systems

Organizations of all types and sizes increasingly want to reduce the amount of energy they consume. This is driven by the need or desire to:

• reduce costs,
• reduce the impact of rising costs,
• meet legislative or self-imposed carbon targets,
• reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and
• enhance the entity’s reputation as a socially responsible organization.

In tandem, governments increasingly want to reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of their citizens and industries, and are imposing legislative mechanisms to compel carbon reduction more and more frequently.

In response, a range of energy management standards, specifications and regulations were developed in Australia, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand and the USA.

Subsequently, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) developed EN 16001:2009 Energy management systems. Requirements with guidance for use as a first international energy management standard. This was published in July 2009 and withdrawn in April 2012 as it had been superseded by ISO 50001.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) recognized that industry around the world needed to mount an effective response to climate change. It also noted a proliferation of national energy management standards that were emerging as a response to market demand for help with energy efficiency.

In April 2007, a UNIDO stakeholders meeting decided to ask ISO to develop an international energy management standard.

ISO for its part had identified energy management as one of its top five areas for the development of International Standards and, in 2008, created a project committee, ISO/PC 242, Energy management, to carry out the work.

ISO/PC 242 was led by ISO members for the United States (ANSI) and Brazil (ABNT). In addition, its leadership included the ISO members for China (SAC) and the United Kingdom (BSI Group) to ensure that developed and developing economies participated together in the project committee.