The growing importance of the energy management standard ISO50001
With the dumbing down of the Carbon Reduction Commitment in the UK and other cap and trade mechanisms struggling on the international scene, the ISO50001 energy management standard is emerging as a viable mechanism to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Early signs are that worldwide adoption is likely to outpace ISO9001 / 14001 and ISO have stated that in due course the standard could influence up to 60 per cent of the world’s energy use.
It should therefore come as no surprise that governments are beginning to view the standard as a route to encourage energy efficient behaviours, particularly in markets struggling with the infrastructure and mechanisms needed to support alternative environmental policies.
The significant global reach of ISO50001 is to be expected given that the consultation was led by ISO members from UK, USA, Brazil and China. An additional 44 ISO member countries participated and another 14 countries sent observers. Together the committee delivered a standard that draws upon existing national and regional energy management codes and standards developed in China, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, the USA and the European Union.
Here at TEAM, we are extremely proud of the low cost system we have developed in conjunction with Vilnis Vesma to assist organisations progress towards certification and interest in the system is opening doors to new markets for us. The system is currently available in English, Spanish and Japanese, recently sold to a consultancy in India and has featured in ISO50001 workshops held as far afield as Malaysia and Hong Kong. In addition, the prospect of a single common international standard is extremely exciting from the perspective of providing the software tools and analysis techniques that underpin its success.