Today, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) joined a small group of leading Irish public sector bodies, which have received the ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management Systems Standard. This international best practice certificate is awarded to organisations that demonstrate a strategic commitment to managing energy needs efficiently.
This project began in 2015 when members of the DIT Estates Office, Stephen Folan and Darragh Power, took part in a series of ISO 50001 master classes organised by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Over the next 18 months, with assistance from the SEAI Public Sector Support programme, the team developed the tools and techniques required to implement an energy management system to meet DIT needs.
This summer, Irish ISO accreditation body DSQ carried out a strenuous and complex audit of the energy management system implemented in DIT and determined that it met the high standards required to receive the ISO 50001 accreditation.
DIT has worked closely with the SEAI in implementing its structured approach to saving energy. Commenting on the accreditation, Jim Gannon, Chief Executive of SEAI said: “It’s great to see public bodies like DIT leading the way in international best practice in energy management. Over the last number of years, the public sector has saved hundreds of millions of euro in energy costs through energy efficiency measures. Following the example of DIT, we now need focused effort, by all public bodies, to ensure we achieve our 33% energy saving target by 2020.”
Speaking at the ISO 50001 certification presentation at DIT Grangegorman Paul McDunphy, Head of DIT Estates, said, “This certification is in recognition of many months of hard work during which Stephen and Darragh set up the processes and procedures to carefully monitor energy usage and to ensure our consumption is fully aligned with the actual needs of our staff and students. This work allowed us to see where energy savings could be made and will help us meet our public sector 2020 target of a reduction in energy consumption of 33%”.
DIT President, Professor Brian Norton said the award of ISO 50001:2011 certification is a tribute to the determination of colleagues in DIT Estates to maximise sustainability in all areas. “In particular, I would like to congratulate Darragh Power and Stephen Folan who worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to meet the high standards required to achieve this award.”