Why You Should Consider an Energy Management System
Did you know that the GaMEP Energy and Sustainability Group contributed significantly to the content of the original ISO 50001 standard? Or that ISO 50001 may be able to help your company save a lot of money?
Randy Green, GaMEP project manager, has helped many companies throughout the United States (and the world!) implement energy management systems, such as ISO 50001. Read his responses to our most frequently asked questions about energy management below and then contact your region manager to find out if our energy management services could help your company.
What exactly is ISO 50001?
It is the International Standard for Energy Management, a set of guidelines and procedures designed to take a systematic approach to reducing energy waste throughout a facility.
Why is it important to be certified?
You can model some of the recommended behaviors and use the tools of ISO 50001 without becoming certified, which is a great first step. However, in my experience, companies that commit to the whole system and take a structured approach to energy management, see the most value and experience the continued and sustained benefits of the program. Many of the companies I have worked with have even chosen to take the next step and become Superior Energy Performance (SEP) certified as well, which is a designation given by the U.S. Department of Energy to companies that have demonstrated their energy performance through their metrics.
Does this only work for large companies?
No- we have helped companies of all sizes and in many different industries save money using these systems.
Is it expensive?
The initial cost to get the certification is usually around $10-15K. You will also need to allocate some staff time (and salary dollars) to implement and maintain the program. However, the bulk of the efficiency improvements usually come from behavioral change, not from investing in new or upgraded equipment. Both ISO 50001 and SEP are really about culture change and making energy management a part of everyone’s job, which means you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get real results.
Do you have any case studies?
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a series of case studies (many of which are about companies that GaMEP project managers have assisted.) I will link a few below, however, we don’t have a lot of case studies in the state of Georgia- something we would like to change- so contact us to be one of the first companies in the state to benefit from these systems and certifications and from having this unique expertise right in your back yard!
Case Studies: