UNI EN ISO 50001

What is ISO 50001?

ISO  50001 , issued by UNI at the end of 2011  “ Energy management systems  – Requirements and guidelines for use”,  offers organizations in any sector, both private and public, management strategies that aim to bring:

• an increase  in energy efficiency
• a reduction in  costs
• an improvement in  energy performance   in the management of the organization’s daily activities.

The standard in fact specifies how to organize systems and processes aimed at the continuous improvement of energy efficiency with the primary objectives of bringing  economic benefits to organizations  deriving from lower energy consumption and to the community the  reduction of greenhouse gas emissions . With Legislative Decree 102/2014 implementing Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, which came into force on 19 July, the obligation was introduced for large, small and medium-sized energy-intensive enterprises to carry out an energy audit on all production sites located in the national territory; this obligation does not apply to companies that have adopted management systems compliant with ISO 50001 or EMAS and  ISO 14001 standards  that include energy audits conducted in accordance with the requirements established in Annex 2 of the Decree energetico condotto in base ai requisiti stabiliti dall’Allegato 2 del Decreto.

Key Points

ISO 50001 specifies the requirements that an Energy Management System (ENMS/SGE) must have to enable an organization to have a systematic approach to the  continual improvement  of its energy performance, taking into account  legal obligations  and other information relating to  significant energy aspects .

The standard therefore defines the requirements applicable  to the use and consumption of energy , including the activity of:

• measurement,
• documentation,
• reporting,
• design,
• purchase of equipment.

as well as the processes and personnel that contribute to determining energy performance.

The factors taken into consideration are all those that affect energy performance and that are controlled/influenced by the organization.

The standard  does not establish  specific energy performance criteria.

It is a voluntary standard, supported by national and European legislation.
Furthermore, an ISO 50001 SGE is  easily integrated  with other management systems (for example  ISO 14001 ,  ISO 9001 ).

Advantages

An organization can derive numerous benefits from ISO 50001 Energy Management System Certification, such as:

• Gaining knowledge of energy consumption within your organization
• Monitor and reduce (by being able to objectively quantify reduction efforts) your energy needs
• Evaluate compliance with legislative constraints and thus be able to provide public feedback
• Demonstrate more easily compliance with the obligations to which the organization is subject (from the outside world or by self-determination, i.e. legislative obligations or commitments arising from its own energy policy)
• Promote your environmental reputation and strengthen your  accountability  in terms of energy management and energy efficiency (e.g. qualifying on the market as an “ energy saving company ”).