ISO 50 001

Energy management systems and legislation

The idea of the amendment to the Energy Management Act:

The idea behind the amendment to the Energy Management Act is to show businesses the options for energy-saving solutions that will reduce energy costs and increase competitiveness. “Energy is a key item and accounts for 30 to 50% of the variable costs in large companies and the Act spurs companies to think more rationally in this area. It relates to companies that have more than 250 employees and have assets, or property, in excess of the Czech crown equivalent of €43 million or a turnover of more than €50 million.”

Companies can choose from three possible ways to comply with the Act’s requirements.

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• A one-off solution, they choose energy audits and repeat this energy audit every 4 years.
• The second option is a systemic solution, they choose to set up and certify an energy management system according to ISO 50 001. The need to compile energy audits is obviated.
• And the last option is certification according to ISO 14 001, where companies do have to compile a one-off energy audit, but there is no obligation to do so every four years.

Basic Sources:

* Act No 406/2000 Coll.
* Act No 103/2015 Coll.
* Act No 480/2012 Coll.

Energy audit, deadline for compliance expires in December 2015.

System approach using ISO 50 001

An energy management system enables organizations to adopt a systematic approach to achieving continuous improvement in energy demands, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption. The ČSN EN ISO 50 001 standard specifies the requirements for creating, implementing, maintaining and improving this management system. Its implementation should lead to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other related environmental impacts and lower energy costs through systematic energy management.

The standard is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach to continuous improvement and incorporates energy management into an organization’s day-to-day practices.