Energy Results of ISO 50001 Deployment by Program Administrators

Abstract

Few industrial energy efficiency innovations in the past decade have received as much attention as the ISO 50001 standard for Energy Management Systems. The standard unites organizational business practices in a management system to drive persistent results, and since its release in 2011 numerous companies around the world have deployed it. At the same time, program administrators from leading utilities and resource acquisition organizations have implemented energy efficiency programs that target business practices and management systems. These programs have had several names, with Strategic Energy Management (SEM) being a common name for the program category. Recently, some program administrators have investigated ISO 50001 as it relates to their SEM strategy. These investigations have ranged along a continuum. At the light end, many program administrators have conducted cursory reviews of the standard to estimate its role with their customers. Other program administrators have conducted specialized studies of their market potential for ISO to guide them on potential offerings. One administrator benchmarked their program to the standard and at the same time solicited customer interest in ISO. A handful of administrators have participated in ISO-based pilots run by the US Department of Energy for their Superior Energy Performance program. At the involved end of the continuum, one program administrator has conducted two ISO implementations with customers to deliver energy savings to meet robust resource acquisition requirements, and to return findings to the program on how to refine future implementation as well as influence deployment of their core SEM offering. This paper will outline the above program administrator activities, what they mean to each organization, and what these collectively mean to the market.