(ISO: Geneva) -- The first meeting of ISO’s new project committee PC 242, which is to develop an international standard on energy management, was held Sept. 8-10, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

The future ISO 50001 will establish an energy management framework for industrial plants, commercial facilities, or entire organizations. Targeting broad applicability across national economic sectors, the standard could influence up to 60 percent of the world’s energy.

The meeting was attended by delegates from the ISO national member bodies of 25 countries, coming from all regions of the world, as well as representation from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), a liaison to PC 242. All participating countries have existing energy management activities and a strong interest in developing a harmonized solution at the international level.

As part of the proceedings, delegates described their various initiatives in detail. A presentation was given by UNIDO on preparatory work the organization has carried out to support the ISO process through researching energy management needs in developing countries.

This gave PC 242 an insight into the different policies and situations around the world that need to be taken into account in the development of a globally relevant international standard for energy management.

 …