ISO 50001:2011 is the International Standard for Energy Management, released in June 2011 which replaces the former British and European Standard BS EN 16001:2009. It provides the most robust framework for optimising energy efficiency in public and private sector organisations.
Ireland has embraced the implementation of strong systematic energy management practices based on standards such as ISO 50001, with 50 percent of large Irish based companies participating in their application. Strong commitment from the Irish Government has been a major driving force in the development and implementation of energy management standards in Ireland.
Establishing objectives and finding opportunities for improvement is key to this continual improvement process. Organisations use energy audits, best practice guides, ideas discussed during energy meetings, consultant advice and suggestions from staff to identify improvement opportunities.
In establishing an energy baseline, the company needs to gather and compile the historical energy and production data, including information for at least two years, but preferably three years for each of the buildings under the scope of management. The monthly energy data will include consumption, cost and demand for all major sources of energy.
In addition, the monthly production data for the same historical time period will be collected. A baseline year will then be chosen and the energy consumption for that baseline year will typically become the reference for measuring energy performance improvement. You can then use this metric in developing specific targets for energy performance.
Initiating the use of a software programme is a key step in committing to managing energy targets. Our customers are now beginning to adopt Wonderware Corporate Energy Management which allows plant personnel to monitor real-time energy use and automatically notifies operators, supervisors and cost accountants of energy inefficiencies and waste. It connects directly to meters on a network, through industrial controllers or through building automation systems, and it is layered on top of System Platform, enabling integration with a wide range of industrial controllers and I/O data sources.
This unique approach enables direct integration with the process and adds essential context to energy usage, such as asset state, production results and operating parameters. Functionality includes recording consumption and demand at main and submeters for a wide range of energy types, including power, water, chill, gas, air and steam. The current price for each energy type can be updated in real time to reflect the emerging wholesale markets for energy or the cost of site generation.
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