Standards can be thought of as strategic tools that guide companies in the desired direction. In this article, we focus on the ISO 50001 standard that holds the guidelines for enhanced energy management and how NL Acoustics’ solutions support companies working with the standard.
ISO 50001 in a Nutshell
Standards can be seen as instructions put together by different industry experts on how to best reach a certain goal. ISO 50001 focuses on energy management and fits both public and private sector organizations of all sizes from hotel chains to national police forces. The standard outlines the requirements for creating and introducing an energy management system, or an energy policy, as well as continually maintaining and improving it. The ISO 50001 framework helps companies set targets for energy use but gives them the freedom to find their best energy-efficient practices by, for example, deciding what new energy-saving technologies to introduce or what actions to take to reduce energy consumption. The rewards are energy conservation and reduced energy costs.
Getting a certification to the standard from an independent auditor is not compulsory with ISO 50001. With some countries’ regulations, it might be mandatory or, for example, save the companies the trouble of regular energy surveys. Also, certifying might bring reputational benefits.
The two key words with ISO 50001 and energy management are continuity and data. Improving energy efficiency is not a one-time sprint but more of a long-stretching marathon. As with other ISO management system standards, ISO 50001 follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. When the field evolves as new technologies emerge, regulations change, and energy costs fluctuate, energy management systems need to be tended to regularly. Here, data becomes central. Organizational decision-makers for energy management need to know the starting point, the progress they have made so far, what targets to set next and how to reach them, and how to best implement new processes or improve existing ones.
NL Acoustics’ Automated Solutions for ISO 50001
The NL Acoustics products for air leak detection, the NL Camera and LF10, are a natural addition to all organizations that use compressed air or—other gasses—and need to keep their energy use under control. Maintaining and servicing compressed air systems by finding and fixing leaks is one of the most straightforward ways of saving energy and improving productivity and competitiveness.
As it happens, the leak reports the users of the acoustic cameras can export from the separate, included NL Cloud software are ISO 50001-compatible. The reports include, among other things, the snapshot of the leak, leak size and cost estimates, and any further comments the user may have added, such as the ordered date of maintenance. The reports are solid, actionable data for ISO 50001 -related processes, such as planning maintenance activities, and also an easy way to measure already achieved energy savings. Fully automated, the reports also save valuable time as the organization does not need to gather the necessary data from different sources and produce the reporting manually.
All in all, NL Acoustics’ solutions provide an effective way not only to ensure energy efficiency but also to meet the requirements of ISO 50001. See our case studies for how our solutions have helped other companies in air and gas leak detection.