Energy management is the use of technology to
improve the energy performance of an organisation. To be fully
effective it needs to be an integral part of an organisation's
wider management processes - and any corporate social
responsibility (CSR) policy.
The management of energy is often neglected, even though there
is considerable potential to save energy and
reduce costs. Rising energy prices, climate change
legislation and the need to be environmentally responsible all
require effective energy management.
Successful energy management
Senior management commitment
Without the support of senior managers, energy management will
falter and be marginalised. Senior managers need to be convinced of
the business case for investing funds and staff time in managing
energy.
An energy policy
An energy policy is a written statement of senior management's
commitment to managing energy and its environmental impacts. Often
it forms part of a wider corporate social responsibility (CSR)
policy. For large organisations an energy policy should be no more
than two pages long; a few paragraphs may be sufficient for smaller
organisations.
An energy strategy
An energy strategy is a working document setting out how energy
will be managed in an organisation. It should contain an action
plan of tasks, which will initially involve understanding the
organisation's current position and establishing the management
framework. As the processes are established, the tasks should
address the identification and implementation of specific energy
saving projects.
A complete and effective energy strategy will address the
following aspects:
- Organising roles and responsibilities and ensuring there are
sufficient resources available.
- Compliance with energy and climate change regulations is
required of businesses and the public sector.
- Investment in projects will be needed to take full advantage of
cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities.
- Procurement of buildings, equipment and services should take
due account of the implications for energy efficiency and energy
related costs.
Metering, Monitoring and Targeting
(MM&T)
Energy information management, or Metering, Monitoring and
Targeting (MM&T) - the measurement and analysis of energy use -
is central to good energy management. For detailed
information, read our Monitoring and targeting
- in-depth management guide (CTG008).
Identifying energy saving opportunities is an ongoing process.
There are two ways of doing this:
- analysing energy data through MM&T
- carrying out energy surveys.
Download Energy surveys (CTG055)
The organisational culture of an organisation can either support
or hinder energy efficiency. People are more likely to change their
habits if they understand how their actions affect energy
consumption and costs. See our Employee
awareness guidance for further information on saving
energy in the workplace, and supporting materials such as posters
and stickers.
Download Creating an
awareness campaign (CTG056)
Internal communications are an important part of developing an
organisation's culture of energy efficiency. To demonstrate their
green credentials some organisations may also wish to communicate
their energy saving endeavours to their customers, suppliers,
shareholders and the local community.
Management review
As with any management process, regular reviews are vital to
ensure that sufficient progress is being made and that energy
management policies, strategies and action plans continue to be
up-to-date and relevant. An annual review is typical, but this may
need to be more frequent in the early stage.
Energy management publications
Download the following energy management publications:
Energy management support
If you'd like to improve energy efficiency of your
organisation, see our services to find out how we
can help. This includes financing and implementation support
for organisations seeking to invest in energy efficient equipment,
for more details visit our Implementation &
finance page.
If you'd like our experts to help your organisation devise
and implement an effective energy management strategy, visit
our Business advice page.
Visit our regional web pages for Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland to get details of our government-funded
support.