2. Securing top management commitment and Business Case

2.1 SECURING TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

It is crucial that any effective energy management system has the full commitment of top management of the organization. The commitment can be demonstrated by signing the energy policy.

To get full commitment and support it is important to convince top management that having an EnMS is an advantage for the organization (energy saving, cost saving, etc.).The business case for energy management implementation is designed to assist in securing management support. This can be completed by adding some convincing data and information on trends of energy use, energy costs,..etc.

The commitment includes regular reporting of EnMS implementation progress to managers involved in the implementation of the system. Minimum requirements for showing top management commitment  are:

• Establishing a policy;
• Appointing a management representative and the additional personnel required to successfully develop and implement the organization’s EnMS;
• Providing resources such as: time, budget, etc .;
• Developing, agreeing and communicating all the roles, responsibilities and authorities that will apply to each task involved in developing, implementing and operating the EnMS;
• Communicating the importance of energy management to the organization;
• Establishing energy objectives and targets;
• Making on-going decisions as required to support the improvement of energy performance.
• Conducting management reviews.