DoE Reports Significant Energy Performance Improvements under Standard-Driven Energy Management and Third-Party Verification Program

ANAB Accreditation Plays a Key Role in the Superior Energy Performance Program

A new report issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that a group of nine industrial facilities taking part in the DoE's Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program have averaged 10% improvements in their energy performance over the first year and a half of the program. The report also found that accredited third-party certification and added energy performance improvement targets significantly enhanced the benefits for the participating facilities. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) are recognized by the DoE as the third-party accreditors for certification bodies that conduct SEP audits.

Under the SEP program, industrial facilities from a broad range of industries are working to implement International Organization for Standardization (ISO)'s ISO 50001:2011, Energy management systems - Requirements with guidance for use, and utilize an energy management system (EnMS) to reduce energy usage in a transparent, verifiable, and sustainable manner. The voluntary program is expected to encourage additional firms nationwide to develop their own EnMS, bolster the efficiency of their energy usage, and help to build a workforce qualified to carry out the important work associated with implementing ISO 50001 and other energy management approaches. An American National Standard (ANS), ANSI/MSE 50021-2013, Superior Energy Performance - Additional Requirements for Energy Management Systems, sets down the additional requirements needed to implement, maintain, and improve energy performance under the SEP program. This ANS, which was developed by ANSI member and accredited standards developer Georgia Tech Energy & Environmental Management Center, is applicable to any organization seeking to conform to SEP requirements.

Entitled "Assessing the Costs and Benefits of the Superior Energy Performance Program," the Berkeley Lab's report is based on data collected through questionnaires and phone interviews with SEP participants. Among the findings was the disclosure that facilities are on track to pay for the cost of implementing SEP through reduced energy expenses in an average of 1.7 years. The implementation cost an average of $319,000 and took 1.5 person years, with the work mostly carried out by existing staff.

The full report is available online. For more information about the SEP program, visit www.superiorenergyperformance.net.