FEATURE u IoT


Controlling energy costs with ISO 50001 By David Goodfellow, Divisional Director for Business Assurance at TÜV SÜD


to maintain or reduce costs and lessen the negative impact on the environment. ISO 50001 provides every type and size of organisation with a framework to monitor and reduce energy consumption, helping them to increase energy efficiency and improve profitability. Its requirements are described in clauses 4 – 10. Clause 4 – Context of the organisation ISO 50001 requires that internal and external issues are considered. This includes understanding the relevant needs and expectations of parties impacted by the organisation. The organisation must also ensure that it considers relevant legal and other requirements related to its energy efficiency, use and consumption.


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Clause 5 – Leadership Senior management must ensure the formation of an energy management team. They must also ensure that the energy management system (EnMS) requirements are integrated across business processes and that it is compatible with the wider strategic direction. These responsibilities cannot be delegated.


Clause 6 – Planning Opportunities and risks must be identified, with the plan covering how they will be addressed, as well as their integration and implementation within the EnMS, and how effectiveness can be evaluated. This should include the establishment of objectives and energy targets, as well as conducting an energy review which must be updated regularly and in response to any major changes. The organisation must also determine the energy performance indicators (EnPIs) that measure


18 May 2022 Irish Manufacturing


ith the increasing cost of energy, organisations need to objectively evaluate their energy consumption,


energy performance, so that improvements can be monitored. Data should include relevant variables for significant energy uses (SEUs); energy consumption related to SEUs and the organisation; operational criteria related to SEUs; static factors; and data specified in action plans.


Clause 7 – Support The appropriate resources must be available to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve energy performance and the EnMS. The EnMS must also be actioned by competent people, and there is a requirement to retain evidence of workers’ competence, while ensuring appropriate education and training. There must also be a process for communicating information relevant to the EnMS, both internally and externally, as well as documented evidence of these practices.


Clause 8 – Operation This covers the planning, implementation and control of processes related to the significant energy uses (SEU) identified in the energy review, and what is required to implement the actions during the objectives setting phase. To achieve this, a process criteria must include the effective operation and maintenance of facilities, equipment, systems and energy- using processes, where their absence can lead to a significant deviation from intended energy performance. These criteria must be communicated to the relevant people that are under the control of the organisation. The organisation must also ensure that the


processes are controlled. Documented evidence must also be kept, to show that the processes have been carried out in accordance with the plan. The organisation must also ensure that outsourced SEUs or processes are controlled.


During the design of facilities, equipment, systems and energy-using processes, the organisation must consider if there will be any significant impacts on energy performance over the operating lifetime, to identify improvement opportunities and operational control. It must also establish criteria for evaluating the energy performance for any energy- consuming products, equipment and services that are procured.


Clause 9 – Performance evaluation Organisations must ascertain what must be measured and monitored, by whom and with what frequency, to give an indication of how the energy management system is performing. This must include internal audits of the EnMS at planned intervals, and documented evidence must be retained.


Clause 10 – Improvement Key to the success of an ISO 50001 management system is the ability to demonstrate continual energy performance improvement. Opportunities for improvement must therefore be identified, appropriate action taken and nonconformities reported.


The ISO 50001 energy management system (EnMS) framework can improve bottom lines through systematic, data-driven and fact-based processes that improve energy efficiency and environmental performance. In most cases it is advisable to integrate the EnMS into an existing ISO 14001 environmental management system, or an ISO 9001 quality management system, so that synergies can be exploited and the organisation can leverage existing management system compliance investments.


TÜV SÜD www.tuvsud.com www.irish-manufacturing.com


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