26 August 2014: The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) has released three case studies documenting improved energy management performance at three North American plants. The systems deployed by the plants were compliant with the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and boosted efficiency and competitiveness, according to CEM’s Global Superior Energy Performance (GSEP) Energy Management Working Group (EMWG), which produced the case studies.

HARBEC, Inc, a US plastics manufacturer, upgraded its management of its combined heat and power (CHP) system to improve energy performance by 16.5%, as explained in one case study. The initial cost of the system was offset within 2.4 years through the energy savings generated by the new system (approximately US$52,000 per year). The company conformed to the standard ISO 50001 and earned Platinum under the US Department of Energy’s Superior Energy Performance programme.

A Canadian IBM plant implemented 36 energy efficiency projects as part of its new energy management system. The plant reduced energy consumption by 9.2% and was certified as conforming to CAN/CSA ISO 50001. Another Canadian plant documented, Lincoln Electric, also earned certification for the same standard, reducing its energy consumption by 22%.

GSEP was initiated in 2010 and consists of six working groups. Countries participating in EMWG are Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Commission (EC), India, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden and the US. [CEM Press Release] [Publication: Global Energy Management System Implementation: Case Study – USA, Superior Energy Performance – HARBEC, Inc] [Publication: Global Energy Management System Implementation: Case Study – Canada, CAN/CSA-ISO 50001 – IBM] [Publication: Global Energy Management System Implementation: Case Study – CAN/CSA-ISO 50001 – Lincoln Electric]