The International Standards Organization (ISO) is developing a standard for energy management known as 50001 that is scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2011. ISO 50001will be designed to companies and other organizations improve their energy performance, increase energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Existing ISO standards for quality management practices (ISO 9000 series) and environmental management systems (ISO 14000 series) have successfully stimulated substantial, continuous efficiency improvements within organizations around the globe. An energy management standard is expected to similarly achieve major, long-term increases in energy efficiency.
The future standard will provide organizations and companies with a recognized framework for integrating energy efficiency into their management practices. Multi-national organizations will have access to a single, harmonized standard for implementation across the organization with a logical and consistent methodology for identifying and implementing energy efficiency improvements. The standard will also:
- Assist organizations in making better use of their existing energy-consuming assets
- Offer guidance on benchmarking, measuring, documenting, and reporting energy intensity improvements and their projected impact on reductions in GHG emissions
- Create transparency and facilitate communication on the management of energy resources
- Promote energy management best practices and reinforce good energy management behaviors
- Assist facilities in evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies
- Provide a framework for promoting energy efficiency throughout the supply chain
- Facilitate energy management improvements in the context of GHG emission reduction projects.
The issuance of the standard reflects a growing concern of organizations and firms to reduce energy use, become more effient in the use of energy, to find renewable, distributed options for energy production at their own locations, and to reduce their carbon footprint.