Chapter 5. Leadership
In this section of the standard, the leadership role and not, as before, the top management's supporting role in introducing, establishing, and further developing the energy management system is required. Without the personal commitment from management and the provision of time, human and financial resources, an effective management system cannot be achieved, no matter what type and quality are established.
The managing directors should support and promote executives and employees' inclusion through participation, qualification, motivation, acknowledgment, training, and reward.
According to the standard requirement, the top-management is responsible for the energy management system's function or dysfunction (as with other management systems). The standard clearly states that the highest responsibility lay on the top-management; although management can be delegated, the top management still bears overall responsibility.
The TOP-Management is responsible for the introduction, realization, improvement of the EnMS, meeting the requirements of ISO 50001: 2018, implementation of the action plans, ensure reporting and improve the energy-related performance, and the use of criteria and procedures for maintaining and controlling the EnMS.
In contrast to the previous standard, there is no longer an Energy Management Representative spoken. Similar to all other revised management systems, the responsibility is delegated directly to top management. However, as experiences show, the documentation's responsibility mostly remains in the hands of one Energy Management Representative ordered voluntarily (not required by the standard). The role is most likely for him to be the organizer or coordinator.
The Energy Management Representative can be named internally or externally. An external may have expert knowledge of energy management but is not always on-site, so cannot perform all energy management tasks. On the other hand, an internally ordered Energy Management Representative is not the specialist in all areas of energy management and therefore rely on external help, e.g., when purchasing energy or at the energetic evaluation of systems. Hence comes the division of tasks with other people in energy management is of major importance.
The appointment of energy management representatives and other responsible persons in energy management should be made in writing and with the signatures of both parties be provided. This is the only way to ensure that the representative's tasks are also consciously perceived.
On the other hand, the energy policy forms the framework for the energy and resource-saving approach of the Company. It must be obliged to comply with the currently applicable legal and other regulations that have emerged from the company's context, the voluntary contribution beyond this legal level, and the declaration of continuous improvement of energy efficiency. In particular, the energy policy should be short, easy to understand, and applicable. In terms of content, it must form the basis for the entirety of the standard requirements of the EnMS.
In general, the phases of the EnMS are Planning, Realization, Operation, Performance Evaluation, and Performance improvement. In addition to the previously known content-related requirements, three aspects are particularly special to highlight:
– Ensuring the availability of information and resources
– the obligation to meet other requirements, e.g., Commitments
– Support for the procurement of energy-efficient products
– Support of the energy-efficient design.
Therefore, an energy policy previously documented as part of the existing energy management must be expanded at least at these points.
The energy policy is reviewed at least once a year by top management due to the re-evaluation of the company's context to ensure that it is up to date. The revision result can either be recorded as a note in the energy policy's footer (checked and updated on signature/release) or in the Management Review.
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