Schneider Electric has gained accredited certification for complying with the new ISO 50001 standard for energy management systems across 15 of its largest UK sites.
The accolade was presented to Stuart Thorogood, Schneider Electric’s UK country president and Mark Jones, sustainability manager, by the chief executive of the AFNOR group, Olivier Peyrat, at the AFNOR headquarters in Paris. The company believes the accredited certification recognises its commitment to continuously improving the energy efficiency of its sites, reducing their environmental footprint and enhancing user comfort.
The programme to achieving ISO 50001 involved carrying out energy audits at each site to firstly identify where there were opportunities to reduce energy usage. This was followed by numerous site based energy efficiency projects whereby the company upgraded key equipment such as lighting supported with intelligent lighting control, modified its Building Management Systems to enhance their effectiveness, and replaced compressors and boilers. To ensure there is continual improvement in energy efficiency, the company developed its Energy Management System, which outlines procedures and processes to keep savings on track.
In addition, Schneider engaged staff to become more energy conscious through competitions and ongoing updates and ‘Energy Champions’ at each of its sites to measure consumption, raise awareness and implement improvement projects. As a way of heightening the staff’s energy awareness, Schneider encouraged them to undertake courses through its Energy University e-learning.
The company says it achieved year on year improvements and reductions in energy usage – from 2011 to 2012 the company saved six per cent in energy consumption. This equates to around £90,000 in cost savings. In June 2011, Schneider Electric’s head office in France (known as Le Hive) was the first building in the world to be certified as complying with the new ISO 50001 standard.
“This certification recognizes our commitment to energy efficiency and our expertise in this field,” says Mark Jones, Sustainability Manager from Schneider Electric. “More than ever, we are aiming for the highest standards in energy management for both our customers’ sites and our own. The systems which we use to monitor and manage our energy usage provide valuable feedback that we can leverage to develop efficient, operational energy performance solutions. This not only helps us to manage our energy bill but also demonstrates to our customers that we’re practising what we preach.”
The ISO 50001 standard defines the requirements for the development, implementation, maintenance and improvement of energy management systems. It is designed to help organisations to improve the energy performance of commercial and industrial buildings, optimize their use and reduce their operating costs.
