Energy management saves money
Archived message of the Austrian Standards Institute
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Rising prices, ever scarcer raw materials, the CO2 problem and risks in electricity generation: Energy is a particularly topical issue today.
Vienna (AS prm, 2011-07-05)
Energy management systems applied in enterprises are to ensure that invaluable and expensive energy is used as efficiently as possible. The European standard ÖNORM EN 16001 issued in 2009 defines the requirements for energy management systems. Its overall objective is to support organizations and enterprises in establishing systems and processes to improve their energy efficiency.
Systematic energy management is to reduce both energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. „According to a study completed by the Austrian Energy Agency (AEA) in late 2010, domestic companies can save up to EUR 300 million by introducing energy management systems in line with EN 16001. In the manufacturing and service industries, this corresponds to a reduction of energy consumption by 4.3%,” explains Mag. Petra Lackner of the AEA who also is a member of Committee 093 „Energy management” of the Austrian Standards Institute. To promote the widespread implementation of energy management systems, related incentive systems are provided for in the Austrian Energy Strategy.
- Credit: ASI prm
ISO 50001: Stronger involvement of top management
Recently, the standard ISO 50001 was adopted on the same topic at the international level. Its transposition into the Austrian body of standards as ÖNORM ISO 50001 is currently under discussion. Moreover, ISO 50001 may well replace EN 16001 in the future.
Ing. Mehdi Moarefi, the responsible committee manager at the Austrian Standards Institute, states: „On principle, our committee agrees to the transposition of ISO 50001. However, it should be made sure that certificates under EN 16001 continue to be accepted and can be directly converted into ISO 50001 certificates.”
ISO 50001 assigns more responsibility to the top management. ÖNORM EN 16001 already highlights that the system’s success depends on the commitment of all levels and functions of an organization and, in particular, on the involvement of the top management. Now, the top management has to set up a dedicated energy management team. In their turn, the members of this team appoint those persons in the organization who support the activities launched.
In contrast to EN 16001, however, ISO 50001 does not stipulate that the energy policy of an organization has to be accessible to the public. At any rate, the energy policy should support the procurement of energy-efficient products and services.
Links to other management systems ensured
Easy links to existing management systems have always been an important aspect in order to facilitate the introduction of energy management systems.
„The links to existing environmental management systems, such as EMAS or ISO 14001, are considerably facilitated by means of guidance documents,” emphasizes Mag. Petra Lackner.
Additionally, the requirements of the standard can be adjusted to or integrated into other systems, e.g. for quality, occupational health and safety, financial or risk management.
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Energy management systems take account of legal provisions to be complied with by an organization / enterprise as well as further obligations defined by the organization itself within the framework of its energy policy.
As a result, the organization is able to continuously improve the energy efficiency achieved through a systematic approach. The methodology selected is the well-proven PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle also used in other management system standards like ISO 9001.
First, the planning phase defines the objectives and processes required for achieving the desired outcome in line with the energy policy of the organization. The second step focuses on the introduction of the processes. Subsequently, checks are performed to monitor, measure and document the processes. The last phase of the cycle focuses on improving the performance of the energy management system. This methodology aims at continuously optimizing the system and adapting it to changing framework conditions.
Thus, ISO 50001 offers an excellent basis for optimizing energy use in enterprises and results in a clear win-win situation for enterprises and the environment.
Bibliography
ÖNORM EN 16001 „Energy management systems - Requirements with guidance for use“
ISO 50001 „Energy management systems - Requirements with guidance for use“
