APEC Conference Tackles Global Energy Management Challenge

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Volatile energy prices and increased calls for energy security and environmental protection have underscored the urgent need for organizations around the globe to improve their energy management practices. In addition to its economic costs, energy use can impose environmental and societal costs by depleting resources and contributing to problems such as global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, and other related environmental impacts.

On September 13-14, the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC) – a specialist regional body of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) – brought together 150 leaders from the Asia-Pacific region in San Francisco to take action in the global push for improved energy management. The Conference on Implementation of Energy Management Systems (EnMS) Standardization examined how APEC member economies can harness ISO 50001 – the recently released energy management system standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – to meet the global energy challenge.

"More standardized energy management systems for buildings and industry that proactively assess, manage, and measure energy usage to continuously improve their energy efficiency are a key means of implementing the APEC Growth Strategy to achieve growth that is balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure," said keynote speaker Phyllis Yoshida, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia, Europe and the Americas at the U.S. Department of Energy and Lead Shepherd of the APEC Energy Working Group. "Fostering and accelerating the implementation of ISO 50001 in industrial facilities and commercial buildings is a central objective of the Certification Working Group of the Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership (website), to which APEC economies, individually and collectively, are seen as providing important building blocks."

ISO 50001, Energy management systems - Requirements with guidance for use, can be used by organizations of all kinds to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve environmental performance. It is estimated that ISO 50001 has the potential to positively impact up to 60 percent of the world's energy use.

"Individual organizations cannot control energy prices, government policies, or the global economy, but they can improve the way they manage energy, and they can do it today," said S. Joe Bhatia, president and CEO of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in his welcome remarks. "An organization's commitment to more effective energy management makes positive contributions toward reducing depletion of energy resources, and smart energy use can also free up budget dollars for other initiatives. When companies can link energy efficiency to profitability, it is a win-win situation."  

The conference examined the role of ISO 50001 in assisting APEC member economies to improve energy efficiencies and reduce related economic and environmental costs, particularly in developing countries. Participants identified concrete areas for collaboration on ISO 50001 and related certification programs, and called for increased transparency and dialogue with businesses, governments, and organizations within the APEC region on the management of energy resources.

ISO 50001 was developed by ISO technical committee (TC) 242, Energy management, with the chairmanship held by the United States. ISO 50001 is also a central element of the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing's Superior Energy Performance program, which provides industrial facilities with a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency.

In an effort to further increase the use of energy management standards in the APEC region and worldwide, the materials developed for the conference will be made publicly available to a wider audience.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About APEC
Established in 1989, the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an inter-government forum that includes most Pacific Rim countries. With significant input from the private sector, APEC works to promote free trade and economic cooperation among its member economies and has worked to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers, creating more efficient domestic economies and dramatically increased exports.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute