The revision of energy management systems standard ISO 50001 received a major boost at the recent Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8) in Beijing, China—a high-level global forum working to advance clean energy on a global scale.

The forum saw energy ministers, high-level decision makers, technical experts, and private-sector leaders gather to discuss how to scale renewables, improve efficiency, and cooperate on clean energy initiatives. The forum included a series of side events, forums, and workshops, including an international workshop on improving green consumption featuring the benefits of ISO 50001.

Developers responsible for ISO 50001 also met in Beijing at the annual meeting of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 301, Energy management and energy savings. A main outcome of the plenary meeting was the revision of ISO 50001, which is being updated after six years to ensure the standard remains a useful tool.

Sufficient progress and consensus were achieved to enable the ISO 50001 revision to move to Draft International Standard stage—which is expected to be completed and released within three months. The revised ISO 50001 is expected to be published in November/December 2018.

Deann Desai, Convenor of the working group revising the energy standard, said one of the main changes for the 2018 version is the incorporation of the High-Level Structure which provides for improved compatibility with other management systems standards.

“There are other improvements in the 2018 version to help ensure that the key concepts related to energy performance are clear for small and mid-size businesses,” Desai said.

ISO 50001 offers companies a comprehensive approach to continually improve energy performance, sustainability, and their bottom line. Close to 12,000 organizations were certified to the standard at the end of 2015—up 77 percent from the previous year.