Energy management standards
July 01st 2008 The development of energy manaagement standards should lead to more companies accruing the long term benefits energy management both in terms of cost savings to their business and a potential reduction in their carbon footprint says Ian Richardson, committee manager, BSI British Standards
Organisations have used and conformed to national and international standards for a long time, including environmental standards which control emissions, waste and other undesirable by-products. For example, ISO 14001, the Environmental Management Standard, although not mandatory, has been adopted by many organisations to demonstrate commitment and conformity.
In the energy world, especially on the demand side, there have in the past been few formal procedures or regulations to encourage energy management and efficiency. This is partly because saving energy means reducing cost, which must be a good thing, and partly because ‘harmful’ emissions were largely not associated with energy use. That situation is now changing with the pressure to reduce CO2 emissions and we have seen the emergence of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Energy Services Directive, and so on. At present there is no formal standard on energy management but that situation is set to change. It can be argued that ISO 14001 should encompass energy because it comes under the environmental umbrella.
In the UK, there is the highly successful Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme, which is not a formal standard but assesses organisations within a broad management framework and requires them to demonstrate commitment to, and achievements in, improving energy efficiency. It is for the organisation to develop and implement the procedures used to achieve those results. Experience of using the Scheme in the context of ISO 14001, indicates that, in some cases, energy management is very much part of the wider standard and accreditation helps to reinforce that commitment. For others seeking accreditation, they may ‘conform’ to ISO 14001 but energy management may play little part in their activities. The Scheme is now in the process of being enhanced and re-launched by the Carbon Trust.
Work is now well under way on developing a whole suite of standards under the broad heading of 'Energy Management'. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) in Europe, mirrored by BSI British Standards in the UK, have compiled a detailed work programme with the intention to publish the first standards in 2009. In the European context,‘Energy Management’ encompasses the wide range of disciplines referred to below. The Standard which is at the most advanced stage of development is EN 16001, entitled 'Energy Management Systems – Requirements with guidance for use', which refers to the discipline of Energy Management in the UK.More recently the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has formed its own technical committee to begin work on drafting a standard, which will shift the focus from a purely European initiative to a worldwide publication.
EN 16001 - energy management systems
This standard follows the broad principles of ISO 14001 in that it is based on defining working practices and principles with procedures for verifying conformance. Several European countries including Sweden and Ireland have their own energy management standards based on these principles and the first draft of the new document was drawn from them. Ultimately it will replace them.
Mirror committees exist in each participating country to contribute to the development and it is expected that a draft standard will eventually be published in late 2009.
The standard specifies requirements for an energy management system to enable an organisation to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and information about significant energy aspects or features. It is intended to apply to all types and sizes of organisations and to accommodate diverse geographical, cultural and social conditions. This standard applies to the activities under the control of an organisation, within defined geographical boundaries.
Other Energy Management standards under development or being considered The potential full suite of Energy Management standards is shown below. Some are in the early stages of development and others are proposed and awaiting commitment.
Benchmarking methodologies on energy use in industry and other sectors
A standardised method for benchmarking energy use and greenhouse gas emissions would be valuable in order to increase energy efficiency and reduce climate change. This would include comparable indicators and standardised calculation methods, useable for all industry, commerce and public sectors and would recognise all types of production at site level.
Energy management in transport
This standardisation work will fall into three areas:
Group 1: standardization for 'Programs for Eco Driving' including drivers training and fuel consumption monitoring and reporting
Group 2: standardization for 'Programs for Energy Saving and CO2 Reduction for transports by truck' and 'Methods for Calculation, Declaration and Reporting on Energy Efficiency and Environmental Performance in Transport Chains' (this group will study the opportunity of upgrading CEN TR 14310 into an EN standard and prepare its report taking into account the project linked to Energy Audits in transport)
Group 3: standardisation for 'Models for Mobility Management'
Energy managers and experts
Preparatory work is underway with regard to roles, professional requirements and qualification procedures. This standard could possibly define the real boundaries of the work, how the specificities can be dealt with, and to collect any available information on existing national energy experts qualification systems. In the first instance, the Energy Experts role within the EPBD framework may also be reviewed.
Guarantees of origin and energy certificate systems A standard on 'Guarantees of Origin' is seen as a priority, in order to make trading of RES possible in accordance with the new RES Directive. Standardisation of GO should at least cover:
- Terminology and definitions
- Concept for issuing
- Measurement methods
- Auditing methods
There is also the intention to propose further standards for Green and White Certificates following clarification from the European Commission on their intentions in this area and if several more countries introduce green certificate systems.
Energy audits
A proposed standard on Energy Audits for industry, building and transport including the economic aspects investment grade audits. Late in May 2008, at a Sector Forum for Energy Management meeting in Paris, the UK was given the go-ahead to take the lead for the EU in developing this standard.
Energy efficiency services (ESCOs)
The scope of this draft standard is currently to specify the definitions and essential requirements for services to achieve improvement in energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency and savings calculation
This standard will address the need for common methods of calculation of energy consumption, energy efficiencies and energy savings. It will also include a common measurement and verification protocol, and methodology for energy use indicators. Work will fall into two different areas:
In summary, the suite of European Energy Management standards is rapidly growing, and the view that standards in this area are important is demonstrated by the recent formation of a technical committee in ISO (International Standards Organisation). This group will initially set to work on development of an international 'Energy Management Systems' standard. Others are likely to follow.
Although these standards will not be mandatory there is no doubt that organisations will see the advantages of adherence to them, and it could be that conformance may become part of a tendering process.Also, there are obvious long term benefits to organisations taking responsibility for their energy use and managing it in a more efficient way, both in terms of cost savings to their business and a potential reduction in their carbon footprint. It is therefore vital that there is involvement and support from UK industry to ensure that the standards make a significant impact upon publication. More articles from BSI British Standards: | 
