Introduction
As a leading education provider, Belfast Met believes it has a moral obligation to reduce its carbon footprint. Having established and implemented other quality, health & safety and environmental management systems it was a natural decision to integrate an energy management system (ISO 50001) into their existing integrated management system for the college.
Given fluctuating energy prices, they believe this will not only lead to a significant cost savings, but will also make a positive contribution to solving other global problems such as climate change and the depletion of resources. Using the ISO 50001 standard helped them to structure energy management usage in the college and instilled a mind-set of continual improvement towards their energy management.
In the current climate of austerity, Belfast Met have already made financial savings due to the implementation of ISO 50001. Belfast Met believe that through effective auditing of the management system, Amtivo, formerly Certification Europe, helped them to bring about further improvements to the energy management system and a reduction in energy consumption.
22% Reduction in energy consumption
When asked what advice he would give to other organisations considering ISO 50001 certification, Peter Kane – Lead Implementer and Estate Area Manager for Belfast Metropolitan College stated:
“Top management support is crucial, and it is important that your main stakeholders in your organisation are fully on board before setting out. You need to appreciate that you are on a never ending journey towards perfection that requires you to continually review and improve.”
Since achieving certification ISO 50001, Belfast Met realised that there are a wide range of opportunities within the college to help bring about energy reduction, and that everyone has their part to play in this movement.
As well as already reaping the benefits of the certification with a 22% reduction in energy consumption, the college now has a system and culture in place that helps to bring about continual improvement on how they operate and does not rely on one person to drive it – it truly is now a college wide effort.
