Certify Industrial Facilities to Superior Energy Performance with ISO 50001

Companies around the globe are seeing impressive returns while improving their competitiveness using the ISO 50001 energy management system (EnMS) standard. As of April 2014, over 7,000 sites have earned ISO 50001 certification worldwide, an increase of nearly 200% from the previous year. However, many U.S. companies are still trying to understand what internal changes need to happen to meet the global energy management standard and capture the value other companies have realized through the continual energy efficiency improvements the standard requires. The Energy Department’s Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program is designed to help facilities implement the ISO 50001 energy management standard. This article explains the programs, as well as how to participate and the benefits of participation in ISO 50001 and SEP.