ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management
ISO 50001 without audit: the certificate online
Yes, it works. Zertify issues the ISO 50001 certificate based on an online self-assessment, with no auditor on your premises. You answer 32 questions about your energy management, SICE reviews the assessment, and the certificate follows within 4 hours after you pass and pay.
01: Short answer
Can you get an ISO 50001 certificate without an on-site audit?
You can. The classic route sends an auditor to your site to inspect meters, records and procedures. Zertify replaces that visit with a structured self-assessment that you complete online, at your desk, in one sitting.
The certificate is issued by G6 Agency AG under licence from SICE, the Swiss Institute of Certification and Education. SICE reviews every assessment before a certificate goes out. Each certificate carries a number and a QR code, so a purchasing department or a customer can check it on a public verification page.
The self-assessment is not a formality. If your energy management is not in place, you will not reach the pass mark.
02: Self-assessment
How the self-assessment replaces the site visit
The assessment for ISO 50001 has 32 yes/no questions. They follow the requirements of the standard, so the content is the same as an auditor would ask about. Only the format differs.
Answer 32 questions
13 of them are mandatory requirements of the standard. All 13 must be answered yes. Of the other 19 questions, at least 13 must be answered yes.
SICE reviews the assessment
Nothing is issued automatically. SICE looks at your answers before the certificate is released.
Pay and receive the certificate
After you pass and pay, the PDF arrives within 4 hours. You do not need an account to buy.
Confirm it every year
A short online re-audit each year keeps the certificate current. Its cost is part of the yearly fee.
03: Scope
What the ISO 50001 certificate confirms
The certificate confirms that your business has answered the questions on an energy management system in line with ISO 50001:2018, and that the answers passed review. It is a statement about how you manage energy. It does not measure how many kilowatt hours you save.
The mandatory questions cover the core of the standard. You should be able to answer yes to each of these before you start:
- Energy baseline
- You have established a starting point for your energy use, against which later change is measured.
- Significant energy uses
- You know which machines, buildings or processes consume the most.
- Energy performance indicators
- You have defined EnPIs, for example consumption per unit produced or per square metre.
- Objectives and action plans
- You have set energy objectives and written down the measures that lead to them.
- Procurement
- You consider energy efficiency when you buy equipment, products and services.
- Monitoring and improvement
- You track energy performance and act on what the figures show.
04: Fit
Which companies the online route suits best
The online route suits small and medium businesses that already manage energy in some form and want to document it: a manufacturer with a clear list of main consumers, a facility services provider with building data, a logistics company that tracks fuel and electricity. It also suits companies with high energy costs that need proof for a supplier questionnaire or a tender.
If you have never looked at your energy data, start there first. Finding the baseline and the big consumers is the work behind the standard, and the assessment will show you quickly where gaps remain.
Check one point before you buy. If a customer or a tender explicitly requires an on-site audit by a certification body, the classic route is the right one for that case. Ask for the exact wording of the requirement.
05: Comparison
ISO 50001 without audit compared with the classic route
The classic route means an on-site audit by a certification body. The table sets it next to the Zertify route. Figures for the classic route are indicative and vary with company size, number of sites and certification body.
| Aspect | Zertify (online) | Classic route (on-site audit) |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Online self-assessment, 32 questions, reviewed by SICE | Auditor inspects your site, records and procedures |
| Time to certificate | Within 4 hours after passing and payment | Indicatively several weeks to a few months, including scheduling |
| Cost | CHF 749 (€749) in the first year, then CHF 499 (€499) per year including the yearly online re-audit | Indicatively several thousand francs for the audit, plus internal preparation time |
| Your time | One session at your desk | Audit days on site, staff taken away from work |
| Yearly check | Short online re-audit | Surveillance audits by the certification body |
| Verification | Public page, certificate number and QR code | Depends on the certification body |
The table shows the main difference. The classic route buys an auditor's presence on site. The online route buys speed and a fixed price.
06: Zertify
How Zertify issues the ISO 50001 certificate
You start with the free self-assessment. Nothing is charged until you have passed and decide to buy the certificate. The certificate is valid for 3 years and is confirmed each year by the online re-audit.
Billing is an automatic yearly subscription. You can cancel at any time in your customer account, effective at the end of the current year. If you cancel, the certificate ends with the paid year. Prices include 8.1% Swiss VAT for customers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
If you need more than one standard, the discount is 20% for two standards and 30% for three or more. It also applies to the yearly fee.
07: FAQ
Questions about ISO 50001 without audit
08: Guide
Related pages
Check your energy management against ISO 50001
The self-assessment takes one session and shows you at once where you stand against the 32 questions.
Free and without registration.