Need to be more energy efficient? That is a rhetorical question. Andrew Murry explains how a ISO energy management standard can assist you.
ISO 50001: energy management systems
ISO 50001: Energy management systems — Requirements with guidance for use was published in June 2011 and the South African (SANS) version a month later. The document (International Standard) specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system, whose purpose is to enable an organization to follow a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption.
ISO 50001 is designed to be applicable to all types and sizes of organisations and applicable to the usage of all types of energy. In South Africa, we often think of energy only in terms of electrical energy. Because we remember so vividly the load shedding on 2008, we tend to forget that there are other forms of energy which are not supplied by ESKOM but are equally vulnerable to mismanagement.
Indeed many sectors of the food industry are as dependent on thermal energy derived from burning coal or oil as they are on electricity. Calculations of the energy requirements for the production of a large number of food products have indicated that the electrical component of the energy used in the food industry may be as low as 20% of the total energy requirement.
ISO 50001 is non-prescriptive. It does not specify how much energy an enterprise should use, nor does it specify how much energy must be saved. It merely gives a structure for managing energy in the same way that we manage quality, environmental issues or food safety.
Comparisons between ISO 50001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 22000.
An appendix to the document lists clause comparisons between ISO 50001, ISO9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 22000. For instance, clause 4.6.1 of the first named covers Monitoring, measurement and analysis.
The organization shall ensure that the key characteristics of its operations that determine energy performance are monitored, measured and analysed at planned intervals. Key characteristics shall include as a minimum:
a) significant energy uses and other outputs of the energy review;
b) the relevant variables related to significant energy uses;
c) EnPIs (Energy Performance Indicators);
d) the effectiveness of the action plans in achieving objectives and targets;
e) evaluation of actual versus expected energy consumption.
The results from monitoring and measurement of the key characteristics shall be recorded.
This is equivalent to clause 7.6.4 of ISO22000 which describes the System for monitoring Critical Control points.
Energy measurement
One of the important differences between energy management and the other management standards is that energy can be measured directly. We receive bills for our electricity and for our fuel. It is possible to calculate our usage not only in rand terms but also in kilowatt hours or kilojoules. These figures can then be adjusted and manipulated to provide an accurate evaluation of energy performance. Energy usage can vary with production levels and might also be seasonal. These can be taken into account in calculations.
As it is necessary to verify food safety programmes so it is necessary to verify savings in energy. Methods for doing this will be discussed in a future article.
Author
Andrew Murray of Andrew Murray Consulting
Email: andrew@gmail.com
