How Does eGuide Work?
The DOE eGuide provides three levels from which to choose for implementing or advancing your energy management program. Read below to determine which of these three levels is the right starting point for your organization:
New to energy management?
Level 1 is the Foundational Energy Management level. It is designed to help any organization from any sector implement a basic energy management program. If you’re just starting out with your energy management program, or perhaps not ready for taking on the implementation of the ISO 50001 energy management standard, this level is the right starting point for you.
An interest in or some experience with ISO standards?
Level 2 is the ISO 50001 Level. This level helps an organization implement an energy management system (EnMS) that conforms to the ISO 50001-2011 standard. Level 2 can be used to implement ISO 50001 at your organization for any reason, such as a customer or corporate mandate, a desire for an internationally recognized approach that can be certified by a third-party, or an interest in integrating energy into an existing ISO management system such as ISO 9001 for quality or ISO 14001 for environmental.
Industrial facility interested in improved energy performance?
Level 3 is the Superior Energy Performance® (SEP™) level. This level builds upon ISO 50001, providing guidance on the additional requirements to achieve DOE Superior Energy Performance®. SEP™ is an industrial energy management certification program that uses the ISO 50001 energy management standard as its foundation but features additional requirements, including third-party verified, measurement and verification (M&V) of energy performance improvement.
Your organization can use the eGuide at any level that best fits its current energy management status. Some organizations will consider starting at Level 1, gradually advancing to the more structured ISO 50001 standard or, for industrial organizations, Superior Energy Performance® program. Other organizations interested pursuing ISO 50001 and/or SEP™ will consider starting immediately at Level 2 or Level 3. The eGuide is designed to allow your organization to flexibly move between the three levels, enabling integration of the more structured ISO 50001 and SEP™ energy management practices. If your organization is already involved in energy management, DOE has created the Strategic Energy Management (SEM) checklist to help assess how prepared your organization is for implementing ISO 50001 or the DOE Superior Energy Performance® program. Use the SEM checklist to conduct a gap analysis of your organization’s energy management program.
