According to section 4.6.1 of ISO 50001, anyone operating an energy management system must show proof of a plan for energy monitoring. According to the latest guidelines issued by DAkkS (national accreditation body of the Federal Republic of Germany), this should embody a so-called metering concept. Depending on how much a given company has to spend on energy, it is required to maintain an online form of operational data acquisition with appropriate controlling software.

This paper illuminates the standardization requirements and their clarification via the DAkkS guideline. A number of essential points to be complied with in the procurement of software systems are explained.

With regard to the reimbursement of taxes on energy/electricity or the EEG levy on renewable energy, energy management systems are a major issue in industrial circles. However, article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive prescribes routine four-year energy audits for all other branches, as well. The EU Energy Efficiency Directive came into force in December 2012 and is expected to be implemented into German national law (amendment to the EDL Directive) before the end of 2014. Within the scope of energy management implementation, efficacy verification of the implemented individual measures is a crucial element of all known codes and standards.

Dr.-Ing. Volker Albrecht, EMC Energiemanagement und Consulting