DOST pushes energy management system

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology is promoting the Sustainable Energy Management System, the process of managing energy consumption in the organization to assure that energy has been efficiently consumed.

Edilberto Paradela, DOST-7 assistant regional director for Technical Operations and an ASEAN certified energy manager, presented this matter during the Science & Technology Conference yesterday at the DOST S&T Complex, in Sudlon, Lahug this city.

He added that it covers all aspects of energy consumption in the organization and involves not only machines or equipment that consumes energy but also looks for the best operations from the operators.

According to Paradela in his presentation, the status of energy management as of today is that there is low level of implementation in end-users because of lack of awareness and/or interest in energy, that’s why the agency is pushing for the promotion of the Sustainable Energy Management System.

He added that the energy manager is only a technical function and cannot get support or commitment from the board. The decision-making process in end-users in Asia is still top-down approach.

The barrier analysis stated that the energy usually represent 5 percent of the total production cost thus improving Energy Efficiency by 10 percent has little impact on total cost savings. The traditional energy manager is the technical person with little or no decision power when it comes to securing budget and all training courses on energy management focus on the technical aspects. No training curriculum on the management aspects.

Among the preliminary conclusions include (a) absence of energy management system s(EnMS) makes effort in Energy Efficiency not sustainable, (b) lack of managerial skills and decision power and (c) lack of interest for energy efficiency and energy management among industries.

The benefits of the system include (a) setting up systematic energy cost management to achieve energy cost savings, (b) reducing operation and maintenance cost, (c) increasing staff awareness for energy conservation and waste minimization, (d) developing organization and staff knowledge in energy management, (e) setting up and energy target and plan, (f) setting up monitoring and verification procedures, (g) preparing energy reporting system and (h) supporting other quality systems such as ISO 14001, Total Quality Management, TPM, etc.

The road map on sustainable energy management starts with the evaluation of the energy management status, organization preparation, the implementation of energy conservation measures and system integration.

The organization should start by conducting an assessment of current energy management status using the Energy Management Matrix, a tool developed to evaluate the current status of energy management system.

The Energy Management Matrix helps the energy manager to understand the current situation of the organization. The evaluation results will be useful for the energy manager to formulate the methodology for setting up the energy management system in the organization.

Paradela also introduce the ISO 50001: The International Standard for Energy Management System.

The Draft International Standard was released in April 2010 and the final version was launched in June 15, 2012. Energy Management Systems offers a comprehensive and structured approach for energy efficiency improvement.

The said ISO 50001 defines Energy Management System as of interrelated or interacting elements to establish an energy policy and energy objectives, and processes and procedures to achieve those objectives. It is applicable to any organization, whatever the size, industry or geographical location.

An organization embracing ISO 50001 is likely to further accelerate adoption of energy efficiency practices and to continuously improve its energy performance and cost.

ThisInternationalStandard canbeusedforcertification/ registration and/or self-declaration of an organization’s energy management system. The fact that it’s based on measurement and verification will help organization stay on track to meet their declared energy policies. 

With the introduction of ISO 50001, there is a need to minimize fossil fuel use and mitigate Green House Gas (GHG) and a need to adopt Energy Management.

Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas make up the bulk of theprimary energy sources and, their consumption is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, leading to concerns about global warming if not used efficiently. 

With demand for energy growing, the need to adopt alternative approaches (like increased energy efficiency, renewable energy, etc.) to meet energy demand is also growing.

The adoption of ISO 50001 by any organization will reduce energy bills, make manufacturing more sustainable, promote energy efficiency throughout the supply chain and help in meeting National GHG reduction targets.  (FREEMAN)