Are scorecards or other pro-forma metrics used for ISO 50001 and SEP? What level and frequency of management review is appropriate or required for ISO 50001 and Superior Energy Performance?

The DOE’s Energy Management Toolkit includes the eGuide for ISO 50001 that contains forms, checklists, templates, and examples for developing and implementing an ISO 50001-based EnMS. Organizations new to energy management can use the DOE eGuide Lite to learn about the basics of better energy management. The eGuide Lite teaches organizations the basics of better energy management including understanding what kinds of energy they use, how they use it and how much of it they use. The eGuide Lite will also help organizations improve their understanding of energy costs and increase their awareness of options to reduce energy consumption. The eGuide Lite is based on the "learn-by-doing" model, and organizations that use this module will be guided through the steps of implementing basic energy management. The goal is that organizations that use this module will identify, plan and initiate sustainable energy improvements.

The Toolkit does not include scorecards for ISO 50001, but does have an industrial facilities scorecard and a plant energy profiler (PEP) tool to facilitate identification of energy consumption and energy-using applications. The PEP provides users with a customized, printable report that shows the details of energy purchases, how energy is consumed, potential cost and energy savings, and a list of next steps that can be followed to save energy.

One important new tool under development is the Strategic Energy Management checklist that organizations will be able to use to perform a gap analysis of their energy management program relative to ENERGY STAR, ISO 50001 and SEP. This tool is intended to help an organization understand its energy management maturity and assess their starting point with respect to ISO 50001 and SEP. The checklist will help organizations identify the next steps it needs to take in order to reach higher levels of energy management maturity and it can be accessed in the toolbox on the new SEP website.

SEP includes a scorecard for plants that seek certification under the ‘Mature Pathway.’ The SEP Industrial Facility Best Practice Scorecard assesses the maturity of a facility’s EnMS and offers credits for EnMS activities, processes, or procedures that are “above and beyond” ISO 50001 requirements. The scorecard’s guidance provides details about the credits and approaches that can be implemented to achieve them.

Management review and regular evaluation of progress towards the establishment of an EnMS is important to ensure the progress and effectiveness of an organization’s energy management initiative. The frequency of management reviews will depend on each organization, but in general, organizations conduct management reviews/briefings every three months during the process of establishing the EnMS. Once the ISO 50001 audit has been passed successfully, annual reviews suffice. The management reviews also allow senior management to:

• Gauge the effectiveness of implemented energy efficiency projects,
• Make informed decisions about future energy projects,
• Reward individuals and teams for accomplishments, and
• Document additional savings opportunities as well as non-quantifiable benefits that can be leveraged for future initiatives.

After reviewing the energy performance data, the next step is to understand the factors affecting the results as well as the additional benefits of the energy efficiency improvement projects. The management review should examine the effectiveness of the energy manager’s action plan and document the activities and projects that were successful to share throughout the organization. If goals were not met, the review should try to determine the cause and decide what corrective or preventive actions should be taken.

Some key steps in reviewing the action plan include:

• Getting feedback and ideas on the plan from the energy team, implementation staff, consultants and other departments,
• Gauging awareness in employee and organizational awareness of energy issues,
• Identifying critical factors that contributed to achieving or missing targets,
• Quantifying side benefits arising from energy management activities such as reduced maintenance needs, productivity improvements and better public/community relations.

The action plan review involves an important time commitment, but has many advantages:

• Develops insight for new actions such as participating in programs or upgrading technologies,
• Helps avoids replication of failures by identifying activities that were not as effective as expected,
• Enables assessment of the usefulness of feedback loops and other administrative tools to ensure good management and evaluation,
• Provides staff the opportunity to contribute to and understand the process of energy management, and
• Provides specific success stories and financial results to communicate to stakeholders inside and outside the organization.