FEATURE ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS The five-step-plus approach and ISO 50001
The latest schemes for managing energy in the built environment stress the importance of continually improving performance. Dr Andy Lewry principal consultant at BRE and author of the guide “Energy management in the built environment” has more
suitability qualified and have authority to act • Assign the necessary resources to establish the system
• Determine any legal requirements plus any other requirements the organisation has signed up to
• Carry out an energy review to determine energy sources and baselines and identify energy performance indicators
• Determine the activities carried out and their likely impact on energy use
• Identify opportunities and produce an action plan which prioritises them with identifiable resources and timescales for implementation
DO • Use the learnings from the planning phase to implement the system
• Train and make aware (of their impact) all the influencers on energy performance
• Prepare the system documentation and controls
• Ensure operational and maintenance activities are linked to and co-ordinated with those relating to energy performance
T
o successfully carry out energy management within an organisation, a
system needs to be introduced that is simple to understand. This should address management issues with the resulting energy savings providing a competitive business advantage. The system must provide a structured approach and a framework in which to work. Such a system, which has been tried and tested over many years, is a five-step approach (see Figure 1) introduced by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) through the energy-efficiency best- practice programme in the 1990s1
.
Although this approach is a great step forward to integrating energy management within an organisation’s managerial processes, it has a fundamental flaw: it does not close the loop and produce an iterative process where the lessons learned feed back into the process, which is then improved. BRE has long been advocating this “five- step-plus” approach , where the loop is closed by a review and audit step whose analysis produces the lessons learned. These are then fed into a plan for improvement, which embraces all aspects of the process and includes an action plan for change.
8 SPRING 2015 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT
This approach is in line with the approach of ISO 50001:20112
which specifies requirements
for an organisation to establish, implement, maintain and improve an energy management system. This allows organisations to take a systematic approach to the continuous improvement of energy performance, including efficiency, end use and consumption. Although the attainment of ISO 50001
should be the ultimate goal, because of the degree of rigour, and the resource implications, this should be achieved in the longer term. However, that does not mean the underlying philosophy and methodologies should not be taken on-board from the start. On a more practical level the following steps should be taken:
PLAN • Identify the parts of the business that could be improved by better energy use and define the scope/boundaries of the energy management system
• Produce an energy policy to demonstrate top management commitment, which is vital to success
• Appoint somebody to be the focal point; ensure they understand their role; are
REFERENCES 1. Lewry A J, Energy management in the built environment: a review of best practice, BRE FB 44, IHS BRE Press, Bracknell, 2012.
2. Energy management systems – requirements with guidance for use, ISO 50001:2011
Figure 1:
Energy Management - the five-step approach
• Review all processes and systems • Procure to energy saving standards both services; and plant & machinery
CHECK • Check activities and energy use match up • Ensure measuring equipment is fit for purpose
•When a serious variation in usage is detected, determine the cause first and then take corrective action
• Legislative compliance – record what was identified and how compliance was achieved
• Perform internal audits to ensure the system is working; identify any deviations; determine the cause and then take corrective action
• Control and protect records generated by the system
ACT • Review the system regularly with top management – quarterly minimum
• Act on the outcomes of the review BRE
www.bre.co.uk 0333 321 8811
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