With savings of over $2,000,000 USD per annum reported by Delta Electronics and carbon emissions reductions of 11% at Sheffield’s Hallam University, could ISO50001 change the way energy is monitored and managed?
Many of us are familiar with the industrial and commercial standards outlined by the International Organisation for Standardisation. These standards are followed throughout the world with over 1.1 million companies holding an ISO9001 certificate for quality management alone. Other popular standards include ISO14001 (environmental management) and ISO27001 (information security).
However, a more recently introduced standard is starting to gain popularity due to its ability to increase an organisations energy efficiency – providing both environmental and financial benefits. ISO50001 was created in 2011 with input from energy management experts from over 60 countries and uptake throughout the world is increasing. It is predicted that the standard could ultimately impact upon 60% of the world’s energy usage by influencing organisations to:
- Measure and monitor energy use to identify where to improve efficiency
- Improve overall performance to cut energy consumption and bills
- Reduce carbon emissions and meet government reduction targets
- Identify and Manage the risks surrounding future energy supply
Essentially, the standard encourages companies to closely monitor their current power usage so that subsequent analysis of the data can be used to identify areas where energy savings can be made. By continuing to monitor power usage during and after the new processes are in place it becomes possible to accurately quantify the benefits – from reduced carbon emissions and environmental impact, to financial gains and increased business efficiency.
Whilst this level of energy analysis may seem to be aimed squarely at larger multinational companies with huge energy demands it actually appears that organisations both large and small can benefit from maintaining this standard. Information provided by the International Organisation for Standardisation shows that large Chinese company, Delta Electronics, reduced power consumption by 37% and is on course to increase this saving to 50%. Another early adopter of the standard, Sheffield’s Hallam University, reported an 11% reduction in annual carbon emissions which also resulted in savings of approximately £100,000 a year. This standard is clearly suitable for many, regardless of size or industry.
Useful links:
Power monitoring the data centre
PowerZook – PoE Power Sensor for Cisco Energy Management
