What it is
ISO 50001, adopted by UNI at the end of 2011 (
"Energy Management Systems - Requirements and Guidelines for Use"), provides organizations in any sector, both private and public, with management strategies that aim to:
- increase energy efficiency,
- reduce costs,
- improve energy performance, which are integrated into day-to-day management of the organization.
The standard specifies how to organize systems and processes aimed at the continuous improvement of energy efficiency with the primary objectives of bringing
economic benefits to the organizations resulting from lower energy consumption and to society as a whole,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Important projects at European (especially North-European) level applied to manufacturing in a context of long-term national energy policy have confirmed that a correct and effective application of an Energy Management System (ENMS) can lead to potential
energy savings ranging from 5 to 15% .
CSQA is accredited by
ACCREDIA.
CSQA can issue internationally recognized certifications through
IQNet, being a member of CISQ.
Key points
ISO 50001 specifies the requirements for an ENMS, enabling an organization to have a systematic approach to
continuous improvement of its energy performance, taking into account its
legal obligations and other information on
relevant energy aspects.
The standard therefore defines the requirements applicable
to the use and consumption of energy, including the following:
- measurement,
- documentation,
- reporting,
- planning,
- purchase of equipment,
as well as the processes and personnel that contribute to determining energy performance.
The factors taken into account are all those that contribute to energy performance and are controlled / influenced by the organization.
The standard
does not set specific energy performance criteria.
It is a voluntary standard, supported by national and European legislation.
In addition, an ISO 50001 ENMS is
easily integrated with other management systems (e.g.
ISO 14001, ISO 9001).
Benefits
- Acquire knowledge of the business energy consumption;
- monitor and reduce energy needs (by objectively quantifying the reduction efforts);
- evaluate compliance with legislative requirements and thus provide public feedback
- to be able to show with greater ease compliance with the obligations of the organization (coming either from the outside world or self-determination, i.e. legislative obligations or commitments deriving from its own energy policy, for example);
- It is useful for credibly developing the organization’s environmental reputation and strengthening its accountability in energy management and efficiency (qualifying the organization on the market, for instance, as an “energy saving company”).
- Energy is one of the most critical issues that the international community has to face today.
For this reason, the introduction of the ISO 50001 standard on energy management systems is to be considered an "event" in the global regulatory scenario: it is estimated that the international standard could have a positive impact on the use of about 60% of the energy worldwide.