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EERE » AMO eGuide » FOUNDATIONAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Step 1.1 Learn energy management system basics

No matter how large or small your organization, implementing some form of an energy management program can be a key step to save energy, cut costs, and stay competitive. Energy is a cost you can control, not a fixed overhead cost. This eGuide will help you in the process of controlling your energy costs by establishing an energy management program.

The foundational elements of an energy management program (described within this eGuide) help your organization identify energy sources and uses, establish energy performance improvement goals, identify energy opportunities, prepare and execute project action plans, and monitor and review the progress of efforts. Some organizations have informal ways of managing initiatives, while others have very disciplined processes that adhere to, for example, an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. Some well-known ISO management system standards include the ISO 9001 standard that gives requirements for an organization’s quality management system (QMS) and the ISO 14001 standard that gives requirements for an organization’s environmental management system (EMS). Requirements for an organization’s energy management system (EnMS) are contained within the ISO 50001 standard, which was more recently released in June 2011.

Even if your organization isn’t ready to implement a formal EnMS certified to ISO 50001 at this time, you still should make sure that your energy management program is built to be sustainable and resilient. Without the foundational elements of a management system that incorporates energy management into your everyday organizational practices, you run the risk of launching a great first effort but having the initiative languish over time.

Level 1 – Foundational Energy Management of this eGuide will direct you through the core five steps in establishing a foundational energy management program that is sustainable and resilient—and can be implemented in any organization, large or small. The 5 Steps to Energy Management are:

  1. Engage Management
  2. Plan for Energy Management
  3. Implement Energy Management
  4. Measure and Check Results
  5. Review for Continual Improvement

Advancing from Foundational Level 1 to ISO 50001 Level 2 for Step 1.1

In transitioning to ISO 50001 (Level 2) from foundational energy management (Level 1), you will learn about the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continual improvement framework that underlies an ISO 50001 energy management system (EnMS). Understanding the basics of PDCA helps you understand how energy management and energy performance improvement processes are structured and how they interact to generate the expected positive outcomes. This information will help you in properly implementing ISO 50001.

Advance to Next Level

How to do it

There is one task to be completed in this step:

1.1.1 Review the 5 Steps to Energy Management

This eGuide will lead you through the 5 Steps to Energy Management. A brief description of each step is shown below:

  1. Engage Management – This step begins by first taking the time to understand the basics of energy management (as you’re doing now). This will allow you to more effectively communicate the benefits of energy management to secure the support of your top management. Only after you have secured top management’s support will you be able to assign an energy management representative and establish an energy team.
  2. Plan for Energy Management – The planning step of the process begins with gaining a better understanding of the different types of energy your organization uses and how these energy types are used. Once you better understand these key issues, you’ll be able to more effectively identify and prioritize possible energy performance improvement opportunities, and then develop project action plans to implement prioritized opportunities. The planning step is where you will gather your organization’s data, examine the results of any energy assessments that may have been performed, and contact your energy provider(s) for any additional data or assistance.
  3. Implement Energy Management – The primary focus of this step—after first making sure you have the proper resources available—is to implement the actions plans that you developed in Step 2. The other important part of this step is to develop or augment support systems for energy improvement, such as energy management related communications to employees, operational controls, energy management training, or additional documentation such as checklists or work instructions. These support systems will help to seamlessly integrate energy into how your organization does business.
  4. Measure and Check Results – This step leads you through the process of checking the progress of both your project action plans and your overall energy performance. It might be as simple as reviewing a plot of your energy bills on a monthly basis, or it could involve examining more detailed energy consumption monitoring data on specific equipment or processes. You’ll need to take action to respond to unexpected changes in your energy performance by updating your project action plans.
  5. Review for Continual Improvement – The review step is critical, but it’s often overlooked. In this step, you will take a step back to evaluate the high-level effectiveness of your energy management efforts. This is the time to determine if you are on track with your project action plans and other business goals as they relate to energy. This high level review for continual improvement will be completed in close collaboration with top management.

Resources & Examples