The launch of the International Standard ISO50001 on 15 June 2011 is likely to add further drive to the energy-management momentum that is building in South Africa. Energy is one of the most critical challenges facing the international community today. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) estimates that this standard could have a positive impact on some 60% of the world’s energy use.
“In many ways the publication of the ISO50001 is well-timed for the South African market since we are once again moving into a situation where we find ourselves facing a supply-capacity constraint. Companies embarking on an ISO50001 drive will save money, gain international as well as local recognition, and help to alleviate the strain on the Eskom supply network going forward,” says Gustav Radloff, managing director of the local energy optimisation company Energy Cybernetics.
The development of the ISO50001 over the last three years will now provide organisations with a recognised framework for integrating energy performance into their management practices. ISO secretary-general Rob Steele says “Individual organisations cannot control energy prices, government policies or the global economy, but they can improve the way they manage energy here and now.”
Often an energy-management tool can be confused with a technical tool such as a datalogger or SCADA system. The ISO50001 standard is an energy-management standard which stipulates a set of interlinked processes, practices and procedures driven by a clear policy, with the aim to reduce energy costs. In order to make optimal use of energy, the ISO50001 standard requires both internal and external organisational changes. This includes everyone from security personnel who identify equipment in use outside of operating hours, to cleaning staff during their after-hour cleaning schedules and the purchasing department that continues to purchase energy-inefficient equipment. The ISO5001 facilitates the successful management of these changes for optimal energy management.
Professor LJ Grobler, director of Energy Cybernetics and a professor at the Northwest University, welcomes the release of the ISO5001. According to him, indications are that the ISO50001 will have a bigger impact on international trade than the ISO90001, the quality-management standard. “The standard’s release opens local job-creation opportunities as organisations now need assistance to make them ready for the ISO50001 certifications process,” says Grobler. Leading up to the release of the standard, the company already identified the skills requirements and Energy Cybernetics’ training division has developed a two-day course for organisations to understand and become equipped on the implementation of the ISO5001.
For more information regarding the ISO50001, visit www.iso.org, or contact Gustav Radloff on +27 12 369 9880 or e-mail: gustav@energycybernetics.com .
Energy Cybernetics
Tel: +27 41 367 1041
Website: www.energycybernetics.com
Tel: +27 41 367 1041
Website: www.energycybernetics.com
