Environment and energy
ISO 50001:2018
Energy management systems
ISO 50001 sets out requirements for an energy management system.
A certified organisation knows where and how it uses energy, has identified its significant energy uses, measures its energy performance against a baseline, and plans and makes improvements. The emphasis is on results: the organisation has to show that its energy performance improves over time, not only that it has a system on paper.
Who it suits
Energy-intensive organisations such as manufacturers, food and drink producers, hospitals, universities, data centres, transport operators and property portfolios. It also suits organisations with energy or carbon reduction commitments that want a disciplined, measurable way to meet them, and it can be combined with an environmental management system.
What certification involves
ISAO, or a certification body accredited for ISO 50001, audits the system in two stages: first the energy review, baselines, indicators and the boundaries of the system; then, on site, whether action plans, operational controls and measurement work in practice. Certification bodies look for evidence that energy performance has actually improved before they grant or renew certification. The certificate states the scope and boundaries: the sites, facilities and activities covered. Certificates are normally valid for three years, with surveillance audits at least once a year and a recertification audit before expiry. ISAO carries out this certification itself, and also accredits certification bodies to do it. Every certificate ISAO issues, and every certificate issued under ISAO accreditation, is recorded on the public register.
Key themes
- An energy review that shows how energy is used and which uses are significant
- Energy performance indicators and baselines that make improvement measurable
- Objectives, targets and action plans
- Operational control and maintenance of significant energy uses
- Energy performance as a factor in design and in buying equipment, services and energy
- Data collection, measurement and verification of results
Edition
- Current edition
- ISO 50001:2018
ISO 50001:2018, the second edition, was published in August 2018 and replaced ISO 50001:2011. ISO confirmed it at its most recent periodic review. An amendment published in February 2024 asks the organisation to consider whether climate change matters to it when it reviews its context, and adds a note that interested parties may have expectations about climate change. ISO 50001:2018 is the current edition.
Check a certificate for ISO 50001:2018
- Enter the certificate number or verification code at Verify a certificate, or scan the QR code on the certificate. The record shows the certificate's status today, for example valid, suspended, withdrawn or expired.
- Compare the organisation name, scope and sites on the record with the copy you were given. Check that the sites, facilities or activities you are interested in fall within the stated boundaries.
- Check who issued the certificate, as named on the record. Where a certification body accredited by ISAO issued it, the record shows the status of that accreditation and its accreditation number, and says so if the accreditation did not cover ISO 50001:2018 when the certificate was issued.
- If the certificate is not on the register, ISAO cannot confirm it: it may have been issued under another accreditation, or a detail may be wrong. Ask the issuing body, and report a concern if something does not look right.
Related standards
This is ISAO’s own summary, not the text of the standard. Copies of ISO 50001:2018 can be bought from ISO or from national standards bodies.