A decree issued from Westminster in 2013 comes into force in just over a month, meaning the nation's larger organisations will face mandatory audits of their energy use.
The politically-driven trend of British energy suppliers to switch from traditional coal-fired power stations to 'green' energy solutions, such as wind farms, is resulting in energy companies imposing restrictions on energy use during peak hours. Alarmingly, Britain could face an electricity shortage by the winter of 2015-2016. If these restrictions are breached, the price of electricity can shoot upwards by as much as 300 times! For example: boiling a kettle during these periods can cost £27.00! Furthermore, heavy users expect to have to shut their plants down at certain times during the winter.
Throughout this year, SQMC will continue to alert our clients and website readers of the pertinence of Energy Management Systems, and we strongly advocate ISO's 50,001 International Standard. ISO 50,001 is a relatively recent addition to the ISO range (having been preceded by the British Standard 16,001), but is quickly becoming an established bulwark for some of our proactive clients, like Mercedes, Veolia Water and Barr. Of course, this Standard - like all others - is voluntary; however, it carries the same business-to-business pressure as does the Environmental Standard, ISO 14,001.
Consider bringing one of SQMC's specialists on-site to deliver a single-day Awareness Workshop for you and your staff, to learn of the benefits of an ISO 50,001-based Energy Management System to your organisation.