What Is The International Organization for Standardization and ISO 50001, and Why Does It Matter?
ISO 50001 Standardization is an international standard that provides a framework for any organization, regardless of size, to manage energy more efficiently using an energy management system.
ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.
Coming from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the standard does not have specific energy targets that adoptees need to hit, but rather it provides an outline “for integrating energy performance into their management practices,” as ISO explains.
The standard is based on the ISO management system model, which is used by over a million organizations worldwide that implement standards such as those for quality management, food safety and information security. By adopting ISO 50001, organizations can set energy reduction targets and incorporate data analysis into energy management to review and improve in this area.
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Specifically, ISO 50001 puts in place the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework for energy management. This approach includes having organizations conduct an energy review to establish a baseline and develop an energy plan, followed by implementing the plan, monitoring the plan and continually improving energy performance and the use of the energy management system.
Why Does ISO 50001 Matter?
Because the ISO 50001 energy management standard is broad, it can be used by any organization such as utilities, energy services companies and commercial businesses across sectors, around the world. In fact, the standard could influence up to 60% of global energy usage, based on information ISO cites from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The exact levels of energy reduction and thereby reduced greenhouse gas emissions can vary based on local regulations and what the adoptees choose to do, but overall the standard helps move organizations in a more efficient direction. As a result, organizations can save on their energy bills, while the world benefits environmentally from decreased emissions.
In addition, adopting ISO 50001 energy management systems can help a company’s image, as customers, vendors or other stakeholders may want to see the companies they work with make a commitment to improve energy management.
And since ISO 50001 uses a management system model that can help organizations in other areas beyond energy management, adopting this standard can help organizations improve overall operations.
By getting comfortable with energy analytics as part of the “Check” phase, for instance, organizations can then more easily apply analytics to other areas ripe for operational improvement.
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