Should There Be A Separate Management System for Energy?

Abstract

Organizations that institute a systematic approach for energy man-
agement can significantly reduce their operating expenses and positively
impact their bottom line. While some large international firms, 3M and
BASF for example, have successfully implemented an energy manage-
ment program based at the corporate level, no standardized system to
allow widespread replication yet exists. To remedy the lack of a formal
management system for energy, Georgia Tech has developed the Man-
agement System for Energy 2000 (MSE 2000). It is a management system
defined by a standard document and destined to fill gaps not adequately
addressed by other management systems.
The existing ISO 9000 and 14000 management systems are widely
implemented, and many managers think they adequately cover energy
issues. In truth, these standards were not developed to address energy
resources and miss many unique aspects of effective energy manage-
ment practice. In this article, novel aspects of MSE 2000 and the advan-
tages it offers over competing management systems are presented.
Through closer examination we will see that, contrary to widely held
belief, energy management is not a subset of environmental manage-
ment. Although complementary, these disciplines are different and need
different management approaches