Evidence that publication of ISO 50001 was eagerly awaited is borne out by the number of organizations worldwide claiming to be the first in their country or sector to have adopted the new ISO international standard on energy management. What’s more, several are already reporting significant benefits and energy cost savings from their early ISO 50001 implementation.

It has been estimated that ISO 50001—“Energy management systems—Requirements with guidance for use” could have a positive impact on some 60 percent of the world’s energy use by providing public and private-sector organizations with management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve energy performance.

Early adopters, early gains

This article summarizes reports from five organizations that adopted ISO 50001 soon after its release in June 2011. The organizations are: power and thermal management solutions enterprise Delta Electronics in China, global energy management specialist Schneider Electric of France, the Dahanu Thermal Power Station in India, LCD TV maker AU Optronics Corp of Taiwan, Province of China, and the Austrian municipality of Bad Eisenkappel.

They report numerous early gains from implementing ISO 50001, including significant reductions in power consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs, as well as benefits to manufacturing plants, communities, and the environment.

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