ISO 50001 consulting: when you need it and when you do not

Not always. A consultant pays off where energy use is complex: several sites, process heat, compressed air, no sub-metering. A company with one site, energy bills it can read and a manager who knows the big consumers can work through the requirements itself.

The standard asks for a working system, not for a report. You establish a baseline, identify the significant energy uses, define energy performance indicators, set objectives and keep checking results. The data and the daily decisions stay with your staff, whoever drafts the first documents.

• What ISO 50001 requires
• ISO for small and medium businesses

Most projects follow the same sequence. The consultant works through it with your energy manager, your facility lead or the owner.

1. 01

   Energy review

   The consultant reads invoices and meter data, walks through the site and lists every consumer by carrier: electricity, gas, heating oil, district heat.

2. 02

   Baseline and indicators

   A reference period is fixed and indicators are defined, for example kWh per tonne produced or kWh per square metre of heated floor area.

3. 03

   Objectives and action plans

   Measures such as heat recovery, leak repair on compressed air or a lighting retrofit are written down with an owner, a budget and a deadline.

4. 04

   Policy, procedures and training

   The energy policy is drafted for top management to sign (clause 5, Leadership). Procedures are written and staff are briefed on their part.

5. 05

   Internal audit and management review

   The consultant prepares the checks under clause 9, Performance evaluation, so that the first review does not turn up gaps.

All figures below are indicative. Rates and effort differ by provider, region, site size and the quality of your existing data.

Day rates are indicatively CHF 1,200 to 2,000 in Switzerland and EUR 800 to 1,500 in Germany, Austria and France. Fees of a certification body for an on-site audit come on top of any consulting.

• Certification cost explained

Look at your own situation against these cases.

Several sites or heavy process energy

A consultant saves time. Allocating consumption across lines and buildings is hard to do on the side.

No sub-metering

Without meters, the energy review needs estimates and measurement campaigns. External technical help is useful here.

A customer demands an on-site audit

If a tender or customer contract names an on-site audit by a certification body, you need the classic route. Check the wording of the requirement first.

One site with complete bills

The big consumers are usually known to the people who run the building or the plant. The self-assessment is enough to find out whether you meet the requirements.

An energy manager already in place

If someone already tracks consumption and reports to management, much of the system exists. What is missing is often only the documentation.

• Compare the certification routes

You answer 32 yes/no questions online. Thirteen of them are mandatory requirements of ISO 50001 and all must be answered yes. Among the other 19, at least 13 yes answers are needed to pass. There is no on-site audit and you do not need an account to buy.

The certificate is issued by G6 Agency AG under licence from SICE, the Swiss Institute of Certification and Education. SICE reviews every assessment before issue. After you pass and pay, the PDF reaches you within 4 hours.

The price is CHF 749 (EUR 749) in the first year, then CHF 499 (EUR 499) per year including the yearly online re-audit. The certificate is valid for 3 years. The subscription renews automatically and you can cancel it in your customer account at any time to the end of the current year.

• ISO 50001 certificate
• Pricing and discounts
• Start the free self-assessment

The questions follow the requirements of the standard. If you gather the following first, you can answer from facts instead of guesses.

1. 01

   Twelve months of energy data

   Collect invoices and meter readings for every carrier. This is your baseline.

2. 02

   A list of the big consumers

   Name the machines, systems and buildings that use most of your energy. These are your significant energy uses.

3. 03

   Two or three indicators

   Choose figures you can measure each month, such as kWh per unit produced.

4. 04

   Objectives with owners

   Write down what you want to reduce, by when, and who is responsible.

5. 05

   A decision from management

   Someone with authority confirms the energy policy and releases time and budget for the measures.

• Certification without an on-site audit