The new ISO 50001
On August 20, 2018, authorities published the new version of the ISO 50001, the international standard that guides organizations and companies in the implementation of an Energy Management System (EMS) through the indication of precise requirements designed for a systematic process of improvement of energy performance.
The ISO 50001 standard was introduced for the first time in 2011, and by the end of 2017, 22870 companies could boast the certification, a significant number that demonstrates the widespread global efforts to improve the energy efficiency of production plants.
With the launch of ISO 50001:2018, integration between management systems becomes more manageable, thanks to the adoption of the HLS or High-Level Structure, a model common to all ISO standards. The main changes in the norm, compared to the 2011 one, concern the HLS structure, but there are also wide-ranging changes in energy management. What didn't change is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach, a winning factor already present in the first edition of the ISO 50001 standard.
Among the main innovations brought by the introduction of the new version of the standard, it is essential to mention those that concern it:
- context analysis, which involves a preparatory phase aimed at identifying external or internal factors that may influence a company's Energy Management System;
- the involvement of the leadership of an organization which, after the elimination of the Management Representative, must deal with the precise assignment of roles and responsibilities of the members of the Energy Management Group and ensure the development of the plans;
- risk and opportunity management, which establishes the procedures on the verification and evaluations of results, on the evaluation of the same, as well as strategies to be undertaken in the event of risks or opportunities that may affect the ability of the SGE to achieve the established results;
- energy analysis, with the express introduction of clarifications on the distinction between Energy Analysis and Energy Diagnosis;
- energy performance indicators and Energy Baseline concept, with a precise indication of the fundamental importance of the parameters chosen to demonstrate the improvement of energy performance and the definitions of "static factor", "relevant variable" and "normalization";
- monitoring, which is now intended as an evaluation activity associated with a subsequent analysis of the collected data, a study that must include the assessment of results aimed at determining energy performance;
- operational control, with the obligation for the company to verify the outsourcing energy usage when it's significant.
The introduction of a new protocol concerning the Energy Management System is an opportunity for companies to improve their plant in terms of energy efficiency.
Get in touch with Renovis Rational Energy Solution, ESCO (Energy Service Company) certified UNI CEI 11352, for an evaluation of your production plants and for the realization of an innovative tailor-made project, designed to increase its energy efficiency.
