Leadership
Task 5: We have an energy policy statement, which has been approved by top management and communicated across the organization.
Detailed Guidance: Energy Policy
Getting It Done
- Draft your energy policy statement.
- Have top management approve the energy policy.
- Incorporate the energy policy into your energy management system (EnMS) awareness program (see Task 15 Awareness and Communication).
Task Overview
The energy policy is top management’s statement of its intentions with respect to your organization’s energy performance. The commitments stated in the policy set the direction for energy management activities and provide the framework for using objectives and energy targets to achieve energy performance improvements. The energy policy should be documented and communicated to personnel across all levels of the organization and be available to interested parties.
This guidance is relevant to sections 5.1 b) and 5.2 in the ISO 50001:2018 standard.
Full Description
The energy policy must state top management’s commitments to the following:
- Continual improvement in energy performance
- Continual improvement of the energy management system (EnMS)
- Ensuring that the information and resources needed to meet objectives and energy targets are available
- Complying with applicable legal requirements and other energy-related requirements relevant to your organization
In addition, the energy policy must support:
- Purchasing of energy-efficient products and services that impact energy performance.
- Consideration of energy performance improvement in design activities.
The policy may be only a few sentences, or it may be several paragraphs long. Simpler and shorter is typically better, but it needs to include the commitments listed above and be appropriate to the nature of your organization.
Sometimes top management or the energy management team will incorporate additional commitments into the energy policy (e.g., sustainability, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, ENERGY STAR®, and other government requirements) that are not required by ISO 50001. This is acceptable; however, remember that what is stated in the policy must be demonstrated. In other words, if you say it then you must do it.
Typically, the energy team prepares an initial draft of the energy policy for top management’s consideration and approval. The Playbook worksheet can help your team draft the energy policy. If your organization already has an energy policy, that can serve as a starting point. Conduct a review to see if the existing policy includes the items listed above.
As a statement of your organization’s intentions, top management must take “ownership” of the energy policy. This includes ensuring that the energy policy is aligned with the strategic direction of the organization. It should support the long-term goals of your organization. Evidence of top management’s approval of the energy policy can take a variety of forms, from a simple signature and date to a recorded meeting decision.
Typically, the energy policy is incorporated into internal EnMS-related communications and EnMS awareness training activities. Also, it can be posted on communication boards or otherwise displayed where it is easily visible. The energy policy also must be available to interested parties, as appropriate.
The energy policy should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed. This is accomplished through the management review process (see Task 23 Management Review).
Decarbonization
The policy sets the intention and direction of the EnMS. When including energy-related GHG emissions into the EnMS, consider including management of GHG emissions in the policy details to provide clarity to the rest of the organization. Consistent with the ISO 50001 standard, GHG emissions details that could be integrated into the policy statement include (items in bold are recommended GHG-related details beyond ISO 50001 requirements):
- Continual improvement in energy performance and in energy-related GHG emissions performance
- Ensuring that information and resources needed to meet objectives and energy and energy-related GHG emissions performance targets are available
- Complying with applicable legal requirements and other energy and energy-related GHG requirements relevant to your organization
As well as support for:
- Purchasing of energy-efficient products and services that impact energy and energy-related GHG emissions performance.
- Consideration of energy and energy-related GHG emissions performance improvement in design activities.
Organizations with aggressive GHG emissions objectives or mature GHG reduction programs should include GHG emissions details in the policy to provide clarity for the organization.
If you do not have an existing 50001 Ready-based EnMS and want to build one that helps your organization manage energy-related GHG emissions, you should follow the guidance in the “Full Description” tab keeping the following in mind:
- Draft your policy statement. Follow the guidance for developing an energy policy and include the recommended energy-related GHG emissions items that are relevant to your organization.
- Have top management approve the policy. Make sure top management understands where the policy calls out energy-related GHG emissions performance and how the combination of energy performance and GHG emissions performance will be explained to the rest of the organization.
- Incorporate the energy policy into your EnMS awareness program. Make sure the energy and the GHG aspects of the policy are clearly communicated and that any awareness training addresses why the policy includes both.
If you have an existing 50001 Ready-based EnMS and want to adapt it to also manage energy-related GHG emissions, you should:
- Review your existing energy policy statement. Update your statement to include the recommended energy-related GHG emissions items that are relevant to your organization.
- Have top management review and approve the new policy. Review the updated policy with top management. Make sure they understand where energy-related GHG emissions were added and where they were not, as well as the reasoning behind those decisions.
- Update any EnMS communications and awareness training materials. The updated energy policy should be incorporated into any EnMS-related communications and awareness training. Consider including a discussion on why energy-related GHG emissions were included and the benefits to the organization.
Task 5 Decarbonization Guidance Version: v0.9
Use this Notes section to save information for communication with other members of your project team, they will be able to see these Notes whey they are logged in to the 50001 Ready Navigator. Notes examples include dates of meeting with relevant personnel for completion of a portion of the task, decisions that have been made about task implementation, or perhaps a link to a file in your organization's shared drive that contains a completed worksheet or template. Please note, do not enter any information in here that you would not want shared with any members of the project team or the site's administrative staff.
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Log in to track notes| Name | Type | Description | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50001 Ready Playbook Task 05 | Energy Policy | PB.05.01.01 |