Industrial facilities participating in the U.S. Department of Energy{\textquoteright}s (US DOE) Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program are finding that it provides them with significant business value. This value starts with the implementation of ISO 50001-Energy management system standard, which provides an internationally-relevant framework for integration of energy management into an organization{\textquoteright}s business processes. The resulting structure emphasizes effective use of available data and supports continual improvement of energy performance. International relevance is particularly important for companies with a global presence or trading interests, providing them with access to supporting ISO standards and a growing body of certified companies representing the collective knowledge of communities of practice.
This paper examines the business value of SEP, a voluntary program that builds on ISO 50001, inviting industry to demonstrate an even greater commitment through third-party verification of energy performance improvement to a specified level of achievement. Information from 28 facilities that have already achieved SEP certification will illustrate key findings concerning both the value and the challenges from SEP/ISO 50001 implementation. These include the facilities{\textquoteright} experience with implementation, internal and external value of third-party verification of energy performance improvement; attractive payback periods and the importance of SEP tools and guidance. US DOE is working to bring the program to scale, including the Enterprise-Wide Accelerator (SEP for multiple facilities in a company), the Ratepayer-Funded Program Accelerator (supporting tools for utilities and program administrators to include SEP in their program offerings), and expansion of the program to other sectors and industry supply chains.
}, year = {2015}, booktitle = {2015 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry}, journal = {2015 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry}, series = {2015 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry}, month = {08/2015}, address = {Buffalo, NY}, url = {https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63k7d1tz}, }