ISO 50001 as the New Energy Management Standard
The pressing need for an international energy management standard gave birth to ISO 50001. It is intended to be an international framework by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the management of energy in enterprises and industrial plants
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recognizes the high need for an international energy management standard by introducing ISO 50001 which can be very helpful in commercial energy management.
The need to promote energy efficiency, the adamant need to reduce carbon emissions, the higher prices of fossil fuels due to reduced supply, and the need to use renewable energy sources give enough reason for this new energy management standard to be developed which was based on advanced best practices and existing regional and national standards.” - Alan Brydon, ISO Secretary-General
It is estimated that 60% of carbon emissions are from energy production. Now is the best time to achieve efficiency in managing energy use and energy sources as the threats and implications of climate change and global warming are already felt.
ISO 50001 will be complementary with ISO 14000 (environmental management standards series) and ISO 9000 (quality management standards series). Similar to these goals, the new energy management standards would significantly help in improving efficiency in the aspect of energy management.
By the end of 2010, ISO 50001’s set of goals might be introduced as follows: * assist organizations in making better use of energy consuming assets * provide benchmarking, measuring, documenting and reporting guidance * facilitate communication and create transparency regarding the management of energy sources * promote best practices and reinforce good energy management behavior * assist in evaluation and prioritization of new technologies * help to promote energy efficiency through the supply chain
This new energy management standard will implement a framework which will help organizations give attention to energy efficiency to overall operation and further define management practices and attention. Introduction of this new energy management standard is widely anticipated as enterprises has been long waiting for such. One of the best ways to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions is energy efficiency and reduction on usage of fossil fuels.
To help companies reach targets in energy use reduction and carbon emissions, ISO 50001 can be used by corporations, supply-chain partnerships, and energy service utility companies. The new energy management standard could be used in the supply chain to be able to compare efficiency when it is implemented.
Being an international standard, the ISO 50001 will enable multinational organizations to have a consistent methodology in identifying and implementing energy efficient improvements.