#175 How Daisy embedded effective energy management with ISO 50001

May 15, 2024

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Working towards a sustainable future is going to require a joint effort from everyone if we’re to reach our 2030 and 2050 targets.

Several initiatives have come out in recent years to try and address one of our biggest challenges, energy consumption. Many of us in the UK will be familiar with ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme), which involves regular reporting from those that fit its criteria. It’s also recently updated to include a stipulation to include an ESOS Energy Plan, which requires you to detail a route to reduce your energy consumption.

However, many businesses would prefer a more consistent approach to energy management, such as today’s guest – Daisy Corporate Services.

Today Mel is joined by Damian Edwards, ISO Standards Manager at Daisy Corporate Services, to discuss why they Implemented ISO 50001, what they’ve learned from the experience and the benefits gained from implementing an Energy Management System

You’ll learn

· Who is Damian and who are Daisy Corporate Services?

· Why did they decide to Implement ISO 50001?

· What was the biggest gap identified during their Gap Analysis?

· What lessons did they learn from Implementing ISO 50001?

· What benefits did they gain from ISO 50001 certification?

Resources

· Isologyhub

· Daisy Corporate Services

· Daisy Corporate Services ESG

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:30] Episode summary: Mel is joined by guest Damian Edwards, ISO Standards Manager at Daisy Corporate Services, to discuss their journey towards ISO 50001 certification.

Daisy are not strangers to ISO Standards, already having achieved: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, ISO 20000 and ISO 22301!

They have also recently won the Sustainability and Tech Awards 2024 and the Green Shoots Awards too.

[04:15] Who is Damian Edwards? – Damian has worked at Daisy as their ISO Standards Manager for the past year. A little known fact about Damian: He listens to classical music as a way to focus.

[05:25] Who are Daisy Corporate Services? – The are primarily a provider of IT and Communications. They currently supply a range of services including:

· Unified Communications

· Connectivity

· Modern Workplace

· Cyber Security

· Cloud services

· Managed Services

· Operational Resilience

[06:25] What were the main drivers behind obtaining ISO 50001 Certification? – In addition to the office spaces Daisy controls, they also have a number of data centres, which use massive amounts of energy. Finding ways to monitor, measure and potentially reduce that energy use, and subsequently cost, was essential.

The second main driver is mainly for commercial reasons. Without Standards like ISO 50001, you can’t bid for larger contracts or Government frameworks.

[08:30] Daisy’s commitment to ESG – Daisy have a made a solid commitment to ESG, explained further on their website as they break it down into 10 key focus areas. Energy Management is one of the logical steps to tackle reducing carbon emissions.

Data centres can be very inefficient, so being able to consistently monitor, measure and improve their energy consumption is a key part of tackling some of their ESG related goals.

Also being certified means you have the certificate to back up your claims. It’s not you just making a statement, it has to be verified by a third-party.

[10:30] How long did it take to Implement ISO 50001? – It took between 8 – 11 months. For a Standard like ISO 50001, it’s important to do it properly. Some organisations may request it in 6 months, but for larger organisations, that would be a tough ask, and you run the risk of rushing into certification without having those processes embedded in.

[11:45] Did having existing ISO Standards make the process smoother? – Yes, as it was a case of integrating ISO 50001 with our existing systems rather than starting from scratch. Though, having so many ISO’s can water the message down a bit, to combat that we’ve got a single statement that gets across everything you need to know about Daisy.

[12:55] What was the biggest gap identified during the Gap Analysis? – Because we already have so many ISO’s, we can be a bit big headed and say there weren’t many gaps at all, however, there were still some things we could do. One of the biggest areas for improvement was Clause 7, Documentation, as all ISO Standards have their own required documentation.

Another was putting in place a plan for monitoring and measuring our energy usage. We have a Property Director who did do that, but he wasn’t really documenting it, so we’ve put in place some proper processes to help show that we’re actively monitoring it, looking at the trends and putting in actions to reduce and improve on that.

[14:55] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[17:10] Did closing those gaps make a big difference? – We did have a lot of help from Blackmores in order to address those gaps. Out consultant advised us to combine elements of out Management Review with out monthly Team Meetings, as our Director is involved with those, and we avoid another meeting for meeting’s sake.

We now also produce a pack of all the monitoring and measuring that’s done throughout the month, which makes it easy for us to analyse and identify trends in energy use. Any actions from reviewing this are then recorded and followed up on. So, in essence it’s just made everything a lot smoother.

[19:55] What did Daisy learn from Implementing ISO 50001? – It takes a team to achieve this – you can’t do it on your own. You also can’t rush it!

Another key take away is that the whole project needs to be driven by top management, without all of those elements combined, it’s probably not going to work (or be a lot slower and more painful!)

It’s also really helped with our commitment and messaging around ESG too. So within those monthly Management Review meetings we have a representative from the energy efficiency team, the ESG team and our bids team. They’re then all communicating what the customer message is, that they expect of us, in turn they’re kept in the loop about our energy usage and related actions and can communicate that outwards.

[21:15] What other benefits are there from achieving ISO 50001? – Having our management system verified by a third-party means that we can confidently say we’re adhering to best practice. It also just validates that we are doing things correctly!

It also means that we can monitor opportunities for improvement. If we identify more gaps in future, we have the processes in place to address them.

ISO 50001 has also helped to put some context behind the energy data we’re collecting. Thanks to the new processes we can accurately identify key trends and explain why energy usage may be going up and down.

[23:25] Damian’s top tip – Ensure that your project is driven by top management. They’re involvement means it’s a lot easier to communicate that message that you’re doing the right thing.

Also, ISO 50001 helps with your regulatory compliance too. If you’re a larger organisation, then you likely have to adhere to schemes like SECR or ESOS. If you’re certified to ISO 50001, then you’re already complying with both.

[24:35] Damian’s book recommendation – Beryl in search of Britain's greatest athlete.

[26:45] Damian’s favorite quotes – “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard” and “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”

If you’d like to learn more about Daisy Corporate Services, visit their website.

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