With energy costs constantly rising during these tough economic times, the release of the new ISO 50001:2011 Standard for ‘Energy Management Systems’ will provide benefits for both large and small organizations.  The ISO 50001:2011 Standard provides a framework for organizations for better managing their energy use in an organized way through a management system similar to ISO 14001 and ISO 9001.  It is estimated that the standard could have a positive impact on the world's energy use of up to 60%.

You cannot control the price of energy, but you can improve the way you manage your energy usage.  The ISO 50001 Standard looks like a good way to start or improve your present efforts to reduce your environmental footprint and its costs.  We have worked with many of the 19 Waste Water Treatment plants in Rhode Island over the past couple of years, along with Narragansett Bay Commission, URI and RIDEM to implement energy management systems to reduce their costs.  We adapted ISO 14001 for the task, but the new ISO 50001 Standard looks like a great starting point if you are just getting started.  Let us know what kind of efforts you have in place for reducing energy usage and costs.

One business owner told me: ‘I have been in this business for over twenty years and make a better product than my competition, but I can’t get the business if I don’t become certified.’

Piles of Paperwork? In the ‘old days’ (1990’s), quality management systems were over documented…with way too many procedures or work instructions.  We try to minimize and simplify documentation in the 21st Century.  Most of the time, many or even most of the requirements are already being performed within your organization.  If you were not doing them you would already be out of business…and, no you do not have to hire a person to take care of the documentation required.  Implementing ISO 9001 or other Quality Management Systems in a small company is not as scary or as burdensome as you might think.

Will it change the way I do business?  The simple answer is no…but…there may be some requirements that will have to be addressed in order for you to comply with the Standard.  However, you make the decision on how those requirements will be addressed in your organization and if you need to make process changes in the future.  

The ISO certification process is not something that should stand in the way of maintaining or growing your business. Make the Monster go away!