Implementing Energy Management Systems With the Support of Networks

The goal to secure competitiveness increasingly urges organizations to work on the optimization of their energy efficiency and by this means, reduce costs. Energy Management Systems (EnMS) can be a helpful support to achieve this goal. Implementing an EnMS effects the companies' politics, organization, and processes. Often external consultants support the organizations with this demanding task. An alternative approach has developed lately: parts of this consultation are done in the form of a guided network in which several companies/organizations participate. Beside training through specialist lectures, a core clement of such groups is to encourage among the participants networking which promotes learning together and learning from each other. The research work presented, takes a closer look at such an alternative model for the implementation of ISO 50001 energy management systems. The goal was to get an understanding regarding the motivations for the implementation of an EnMS, and the participation in a network supporting this. Furthermore, it should be found out how participating companies benefited from the network approach.An intensive literature research laid the ground for the following field research: Based on an online questionnaire the experiences of participants from two similar networks which have the goal to support companies in the introduction of ISO 50001 EnMS were scientifically investigated. The outcomes of the interviews were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques.The results presented in this paper provide a valuable insight into the motivation for participating in a network supporting the implementation of an energy management system, and its benefits.