Switching on to Energy Management
Press release - 4 March 2008
Have your say on a new European standard on energy management
Switching off a light, taking the bus instead of driving, and only boiling enough water for one cup of tea are ways we can all do our bit to reduce carbon emissions. But while our overall impact as individuals can be great, Britain must see the bigger picture if we are to meet the government’s target of a 60 per cent emissions cut by 2050. A forthcoming standard aims to help get us there.
A new European standard on energy management sets out the requirements for a system which will enable all organizations to continually improve their energy efficiency and to be independently certified to this effect. BSI British Standards is now inviting comments on the draft of this standard which can be downloaded free of charge.
EN 16001 uses the well-established plan-do-check-act model for establishing an energy management system. This will enable an organization of any size or type to develop and implement a policy and objectives which incorporate legal and other requirements such as emissions trading obligations and agreements with community groups.
At the implementation stage of an energy management system EN 16001 currently states that ‘successful implementation of an energy management system calls for a commitment from all persons working for or on behalf of the organization. This commitment should begin at the highest levels of management.’ The draft standard also requires organizations to measure their consumption; conduct an audit and investigation as to exactly where energy is being consumed; draw up a list of opportunities for making savings; and incorporate them into energy policies.
Professor Martin Fry, Chairman of SEM/1, the BSI British Standards committee responsible for the UK’s input into the European Standard, said, “This is one of a suite of new energy related standards we can expect to see over the next four years. The objective of EN 16001 is to help businesses shrink their carbon footprint, through energy efficiency, as well as reduce costs.”
Mike Low, Director of BSI British Standards, said, “We really encourage comments on this new standard which stands to make an appreciable difference to the energy efficiency of an organization and consequently its environmental impact. It has been developed with the expertise of industry but we value the input of as many end users of the standard as possible. Our objective is to create a best practice tool delivering both economic benefits to the user whilst reducing the ever increasing demands of energy supply and usage on the environment.”
About BS EN 16001
The draft standard BS EN 16001 is published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC). All European standards are adopted in the UK as British Standards by BSI British Standards.
About BSI Group
BSI British Standards is part of BSI Group, a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, the Group has over 2,250 staff operating in over 100 countries through more than 50 global offices. The Group’s key offerings are:
- The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information
- Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification
- Product testing and certification of services and products
- Performance management software solutions
- Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice.
For further information please visit www.bsigroup.com
