Cement, Energy and Environment

In ISO 14001 consumption reductions would be an incidental result of pollution prevention. This doesn't happen often with 14001 , since pollution prevention is the key, which often results in increased energy consumption. For example, when a thermal reactor is required for VOC control, but without heat recovery designed in, the pollution solution can actually degrade energy performance. When considered as a consistent pair, the two standards are very complementary and can result in leveraged benefits, ensuring that the two objectives (pollution reduction and energy performance improvement), are in synch. This is detailed more in the next question. We are considering ISO 50001/SEP. What can we do to get ready? Read through the ISO 50001 standard You'll notice that in structure, it's very similar to ISO 14001 . However, there is one very big difference in that 50001 requires actual energy performance improvements in addition to management system process improvements. This provides an extra challenge, but it also results in tangible energy performance improvement (i.e., reduced costs). Get a handle on how you use energy (your Significant Energy Uses or SEU) and their associated Energy Performance Indicators (EnPis) EnPis are defined by you to give you a clear picture of how your organization is improving energy performance (such as kWh per widget or Btus per operating hour). An EnPI can be a simple ratio, a correlation, or even just a number. The key question is, "Will the EnPis I selected tell me what I need to know so that my energy performance targets will be met?" Understand Baselines and Normalizing Assume you found an opportunity for energy performance improvement and you proposed a project to upgrade your cooling water circulating system by installing VFDs (variable frequency drives) on the pumps . You expect that you could save $100 in pumping costs. This saving would be based upon your measure of energy consumption of the fixed speed drives over a reasonable period. This measurement of energy consumption would be your baseline. Now, if this pumping energy consumption was significantly impacted by weather or production, then it would be necessary to understand the impact of these "relevant variables" on your results. You would want to compare performance at similar weather effects and production levels to be sure that the improvements were real compared to other influences. This would be considered normalizing. Understand ISO Being certified to, or at least having implemented, another ISO standard should help shorten the time , cost, and learning curve for ISO 50001. As mentioned previously, the structure is similar to ISO 14001 and other similar management systems standards. Many sections of ISO 50001 are very similar and often the same processes can be either adapted or used as-is. If your organization is not certified to another standard, explore whether you have any ISO skills in-house or if you should hire a consultant. www. dekra-cerlification.us/en/consultants Reach out for experience Talk to others in your industries who are leading the way in energy improvement. What were their experiences with ISO 50001, and energy improvement projects in general? There are some new concepts for management systems that take time to sink in, and ISO 50001 is a little more data driven than other management system standards. You could also take an ISO 50001 course: DEKRA, DoE, Georgia Tech , and others all offer 50001 and SEP courses ranging from a 1 day introduction to a 4 day Certified Practitioner for Energy Management Systems training . www. dekra-cerlification. us/en/iso-50001-training Build your team A good 50001 implementation team might include members at the plant and senior management levels, along with your ISO resource. It's also very important to include a facilities person who is responsible for, and knowledgeable of, the energy-consuming systems in the organization, including maintenance and monitoring issues. Build your relationships Company culture is often resistant to change, and it will be hard to implement energy improvement projects if your organization historically hasn't seen energy consumption as a significant overhead cost. You'll want to make sure that your team has access to all the relevant energy reports, utility bills , and related, so the accounting department will be important. 26