The Role of Leadership in Implementing 50001 Ready

Understanding how individuals can lead a company to meaningfully and durably lower energy consumption is key to increasing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness as energy supply and affordability is in transition. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy and Berkeley Lab started a cohort-based technical assistance program open to any U.S. manufacturer seeking to implement a 50001 Ready energy management system (EnMS). This approach integrates continually improving energy performance into customary business practices via a multi-functional EnMS team. The 50001 Ready cohort program surveys participants on their program experience and on important organizational characteristics. A mid-program survey asks participants who makes energy and emissions-related decisions at participating organizations; who works to implement these decisions; what arguments, metrics, and messaging typically convince these leaders to take action; and how organizations assess business risks related to energy and global markets expressing interest in decarbonization. Some preliminary results have been published (https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145441), but updated and deeper analysis will shed light on the role of organizational leadership and other employees in implementing 50001 Ready. We will also analyze survey data on how 50001 Ready interacts with workforce development. As of January 2025, the ongoing cohort program had engaged 305 participants from 158 manufacturing sites, with diverse participation in terms of geography, size, and sub-sector. This presentation will highlight how 50001 Ready cohort participants and their EnMS teams engage leadership, adopt new practices, and spread them throughout the organization relatively quickly to accelerate energy savings.