Quarterly Energy Management Plan Template

Run our Quarterly Energy Management Plan Template to take control and manage energy use for your organization. Increase energy efficiency, conserve energy, and invest appropriately in renewable energy sources.

Running this checklist will give a good appreciation of what is needed for effective energy management.

We are entering an energy crisis. 80% of the U.S. energy coming from fossil fuels, which will begin to run out in the next ~50 years.

This will not only impact us on a personal level, it will also permeate negative effects through society and our economy. For businesses to survive, organizations must take responsibility for their energy usage, for which energy management is key.

Our Quarterly Energy Management Plan Template has been produced using the Carbon Trust's Energy Management: A comprehensive Guide to Controlling Energy Use.

By using this checklist, you can continuously access your organization's energy demand, improve energy efficiency, conserve energy, and switch to alternative renewable energy sources.

How to use this checklist

At the beginning of this checklist, you will be presented with a set of specialized questions given as form fields. You are required to populate each form field with your data.

Work through the tasks in each section. The sections in this checklist, given in order are:

• Commit
• Understand
• Plan and organize
• Act
• Control, monitor, and review
• Keep going

By the end of this checklist, your established targets will be set in motion to conserve energy, improve energy efficiency, and make the switch to renewables.

In this template, you will come across the following Process Street features:

• Stop tasks - To ensure task order.
• Conditional logic - To adjust the template so it is adapted to your needs.
• Role assignment - To delegate tasks within your team ensuring your supervisors are appropriately assigned to the review tasks.

In this Quarterly Energy Management Plan Template, you will be presented with the following form fields which you are required to populate with your specific data. More information for each form field is provided via linkage to our help pages:

• Long text
• Date
• Multiple choice 

This checklist is to be run by an energy champion. According to the Carbon Trust approach, the energy champion should:

Select your energy champion using the members' form field below.

Next, use the form fields to record the energy champions details, company details, and checklist details.

Energy champion details

Organization details

Checklist details

The key elements for delivering successful energy management are illustrated in the roadmap given below.

Senior management commitment is the foundation of good energy management, which is delivered through a formal energy policy and a supporting energy strategy with an action plan.

An initial review will be needed to get things going and it will take time to put all the elements in place. This checklist has been designed to adhere to the below energy management roadmap.

Make energy management part of company policy (whether that's as part of procurement or corporate social responsibility or simply raising awareness to best practice).

Energy efficiency needs to be embedded in your company's culture to demonstrate your organization's commitment to energy efficiency. Start by making energy efficiency, conservation, and the switch to renewables part of your company policy.

You can use the long text form field below to detail this new policy.

Make sure your policy includes:

Keep the energy policy formal and brief, signed off by the Chief Executive, and as a public document.

Before the formal development of your energy management approach, an initial understanding needs to be gauged of how energy is currently used and managed in your organization. Also, consider the main issues for your organization, which includes the impact of:

• Energy spent on your organization's finances,
• Energy and climate change legislation and taxation on your organization's finances and operation,
• Good energy management on your corporate reputation.

Review your energy management systems using the below checklist. This checklist details best practices for optimal energy management. Check off tasks your energy management system abides by:

On top of this initial review, use an energy management self-assessment tool to gauge your performance across the different areas of energy management.

Download the Carbon Trust's energy management self-assessment tool below:

Using this assessment, you can produce:

• The energy management matrix: This too helps organizations assess their strengths and weaknesses across the following six areas of energy management:
  • Policy
  • Organizing
  • Training
  • Performance measurement
  • Communication
  • Investment
• The energy management assessment (EMA): This tool provides a more comprehensive self-assessment through the following criteria:
  • Management commitment
    • Energy policy
    • Energy strategy
    • Organizational structure
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Procurement and investment
    • Procurement policy
    • Investment procedures
  • Energy information systems and identifying opportunities
    • Monitoring and analyzing energy use
    • Target setting
    • Opportunities identification
  • Culture communications
    • Staff engagement and training
    • Operational procedures
    • Communications

Both tools can be used to identify areas for improvement, to show how balanced your approach to energy management is.

Once you have completed the Carbon Trust's energy management self-assessment tool, you can upload your assessment using our file upload form field below.

How did your organization score?

Use the long-text form field below to summarize how your organization scored.

When conducting your self-assessment, consider the following points:

• Reaching the upper levels in all areas may not always be appropriate,

• It is recommended that you re-visit your self-assessment periodically.

Any energy management initiative is likely to falter without the support of senior managers. To gain their commitment they will need to understand clearly:

• What your energy management system is
• Why your energy management system is needed
• The benefits your energy management system will bring
• How much your energy management system will cost

Detail this information using the long text form fields below.

High-level commitment will provide:

• Advocacy from senior managers,
• Visibility of the issues across your organization,
• The impetus for the organization to implement energy management,
• Resources, both human and financial.

It is good practice to designate a board member or other senior manager to act as a sponsor for energy management within the senior energy management team (SMT). The Responsible Senior Manager will provide the link between the

It’s worth finding out whether an energy management strategy is already in place, to learn from mistakes, or to reinstate good practice that has since lapsed.

Make a case for energy management, by:

• Articulating what the costs and benefits will be
• Explain how it can be implemented
• Outline who should be involved
• Propose a timeframe and milestones
• Clearly state what the next actions should be

(Refer to the information detailed in task 8)

Use the long-text form fields provided to detail this information.

To understand your current energy performance you need to take regular meter readings.

Designate a team member/team responsible using the members form field below.

It is important to take regular meter readings. It is not enough to look at invoices to determine the amount of energy used.

Incorporate a meter reading system to:

It is recommended that you take meter readings every month. Take meter readings at the same time of day and the same day of the week. Energy usage can then be displayed on a graph, making it easier to detect trends and spot any abnormal consumption spikes. Investing in a smart meter makes this stage easier.

Use the date form field below to select the start date for the period readings will be taken over, and a due date for the quarter-end.

This will utilize Process Street's dynamic due date feature, notifying the individual when meter reading recordings are due in.

You can use online documentation software to track your data recordings such as Google Excel.

If you do, link to this online documentation using the website form field below.

Upload your meter reading recordings for the quarter using the file upload form field provided below.

Understand your current energy performance by collecting and analyzing data. Assess which sets of data are most useful and how much is needed.

Trends and issues that need investigating often emergy quickly, simply by looking at year-on-year or month-on-month data. Data needs to be linked to appropriate drivers, such as turnover, tonnes of material processed, and so on, as relevant to the site.

People will be interested in helping to shape a company's energy management strategy. Consider the following stakeholder needs:

When developing objectives and targets, there're a number of factors to take into account, both in terms of the size of targets and how they're to be achieved.

These include:

Energy-saving targets are often expressed in terms of a percentage reduction in energy consumption or CO2 emissions. It is important to ensure that targets are realistic and reflect the organization’s potential.

Alternatively, reductions can be expressed in terms of improvement compared with benchmarks, either those taken internally or those published in comparable organizations if available.

Set key performance indicators, using the subtask form field provided to check off the KPIs included.

While setting objectives and targets in accordance with listed KPIs, it's important to keep in mind barriers to success.

The following are common weaknesses that can lead to a poor energy management strategy:

When developing your KPIs, objectives, and targets, think about:

Document your KPIs, objectives, and targets. Upload this documentation using the file upload form field given below.

Ask questions to understand how and why energy is used in a broader context.

1. How does the core work of the business affect energy use?
   1. Manufacturers, for instance, need energy for their processes, meaning consumption will fluctuate depending on the production levels. In offices, energy correlations may be less direct, but energy is needed for heating, lighting, and office equipment. Energy for heating and lighting might go up in the winter months.
2. How does legislation affect the organization?
   1. Understand what legislation is relevant to the organization, which may include legislation designed to encourage energy savings, but also legislation that tends to increase energy demand through, e.g. pollution control.

When it comes to meeting your energy management goals, you want to include stakeholders to help you develop an energy strategy.

Policy, targets, and objectives will not deliver the energy savings required, but rather they set the mandate and focus on the development of an effective energy management strategy.

Strategies should not be developed by a single individual, or fully handed over to an external organization, though it can be helpful to involve external facilitation if the cost can be justified.

Before anything else, acknowledge why it is important to include stakeholders when devising your strategy. For this, confirm understanding of the points given below:

It is important to understand key strategic issues, so you can address these issues ahead of time.

Key strategic issues to resolve are:

• Will a formal management system be used - for example, ISO 14001, BS EN 16001, or ISO 5001?
• What will be the responsibility or the accountability structure for energy management?
• Can the energy management framework be delivered with existing staff?
• Gaining stakeholder input and ensuring there is shared ownership from all those whom it affects can be a challenge.
• Gaining senior management support, including the assignment of responsibilities to a range of staff can be a challenge.

Use the long-text form fields provided to detail your response to the above.

Take the time to consider what your energy strategy should deliver on.

Use the subtask form field below to confirm understand that your energy strategy needs to:

The detail of the strategy will of course depend not only on the policy objectives but also on the existing energy management position and nature of the organization.

Whatever the organization’s starting position, the following aspects should be covered by the strategy:

These topics are covered in more detail later in this checklist.

Use the file-upload form field to upload your energy plan.

Energy manager and energy management team

There is no ideal model for the energy management team, as to how it works will depend on the characteristics of the particular organization.

Staff on the team may also have other functions and duties - it is therefore important that they have sufficient time, expertise, and resources to perform their energy management responsibilities effectively.

The energy management team as a whole should encompass the following functions:

If you are a larger multi-site organization or those with very high energy use, it is beneficial to designate an Energy Manager as a full-time role, or even employing more than one person to manage the program. If this latter model is used, then it's important each person is given a specific area to look after, but that one person retains overall responsibility. For smaller companies though, an energy champion such as yourself may be enough.

There are a number of characteristics that should be put in place to facilitate effective energy management and ensure that key decision-making considers the consequences for energy, as given below.

Use the subtask checklist to confirm that each consequence has been considered:

For the greatest effect, an energy management plan needs to be fully integrated within an organization's operations to be effective. This means responsibility lies with all employees.

Energy management best practice will include clearly specified energy-related responsibilities for:

It is important to ensure that people with energy management responsibilities are given adequate time, budget, and resources to fulfill their responsibilities effectively.

A minimum guideline is that for every $2.5 million spent annually on energy, an organization should have one or more full-time equivalent (FTE) people assigned to energy management activities, excluding activities related to energy procurement. An organization, for example, with a $5 million annual energy bill really requires two FTE in total allocated to energy management.

Take the time to become fully aware of the compliance framework affecting your organization, and the opportunities there may be from incentive schemes.

This is a constantly developing area and it is vital that organizations ensure they keep up-to-date, particularly with their legal obligations.

Across the globe, various carbon and energy-related schemes are devised to ensure secure and affordable energy suppliers while also addressing climate change.

The aim of these schemes is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage diversification of energy supply, particularly towards alternative and renewable sources.

Such regulatory schemes can be divided into two broad groups, as detailed below.

Those that place mandatory requirements on organizations, including...

• CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC)
• Building Regulations and Energy Certificates (EPCs and DECs)
• Climate Change Levy (CCL) and Climate Change Agreements (CCAs
• EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS)
• Fluorinated Gas (F-gas) Regulations

Those that provide direct financial incentives for implementing certain technologies and alternative energy sources, including...

• Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs)
• Feed-in Tariffs for renewable technologies (FITs
• Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

Energy management good investment practice can be characterized by all or some of the following:

Acknowledge the common barriers to success for an energy strategy, and think about how you can mitigate these barriers.

Check off each task in the subtask form fields below to confirm the barriers to success have been acknowledged and acted on.

Calculate the life-cycle cost for your investments made.

Life Cycle Costing is about getting the full picture of how much equipment will cost, over its whole life.

The energy cost of running most equipment is many times higher than the original purchase price. This can justify a higher purchase cost for more efficient equipment. For example, the capital cost of an electric motor may be as little as 1% of its lifetime cost.

To calculate the life cycle cost, determine the following:

A. The total power demand for the equipment (in kilowatts). The supplier should be able to provide this information.

B. The number of hours the equipment will operate each year.

C. The unit price of energy ($ per kilowatt-hour). Check energy prices and the current tariff, usually on the energy bill. Consider if future price changes are likely.

D. The annual maintenance cost of the equipment ($).

E. The number of years for which the equipment will be used.

F. The equipment capital cost ($).

The annual running cost of the equipment is then:

• (A x B x C) + D = Y
• Y x E = lifetime running cost 
• Lifetime running cost + F = total life cycle cost of the equipment

Energy procurement

Energy procurement is about getting the best price for the supply of energy.

To make smart decisions in regard to energy procurement, you need to understand:

1. The market
2. How your organization uses and will use the energy

With energy management, it comes as a balancing act between where the energy is obtained from and the cost.

For a more sustainable source of energy, it is highly recommended that you switch to a green energy supplier.

Equipment and service procurement

An energy action plan may have identified certain inefficiencies that could be rectified in the long term with capital investment in new plant or equipment.

It is best practice in energy management to have procedures in place that ensure that the energy performance of such items is taken duly into account when procurement decisions are being made.

Below, best practices are listed. Check off each practice to confirm it has been read and understood.

Procurement of buildings

The procurement of buildings, whether through a lease or actual purchase, can be a key factor in the long-term energy performance of the organization.

Consider leasing, purchasing, or commissioning buildings to meet the highest energy efficiency standards.

Acknowledge and act on common success barriers

For your energy management to be effective, it is important to have formal systems in place for data collection and analysis.

A good way of identifying waste initially is to stage an energy walkabout. These walkabouts can be completed by yourself or other employees.

Energy usage patterns will inevitably vary, so vary the staged walkabout throughout the day at different times, to match, for instance:

• When the cleaners are in;
• At lunch;
• At night or over weekends (if your meter readings indicate that there is an unexpectedly high energy use during these periods).

Your metering, monitoring, and targeting system should:

On top of the above, you need effective Metering, Monitoring, and Targeting (MM&T) as an integral part of your energy strategy.

An effective MM&T system will give an energy manager the below-detailed information.

Check off each subtask to confirm your MM&T system provides the stated.

Be aware of common barriers to success when it comes to Metering, Monitoring, and Targeting energy use. 

Check off the subtasks given below to acknowledge common success barriers are understood:

A good way of identifying waste initially is to stage an energy walkabout.

Energy usage patterns will inevitably vary, so vary the staged walkabout throughout the day at different times, to match, for instance:

• When the cleaners are in;
• At lunch;
• At night or over weekends (if your meter readings indicate that there is an unexpectedly high energy use during these periods).

From these walks, identify:

Energy waste might occur due to a lack of understanding, procedures being overlooked, inadequate repair, or capital investment.

Make sure to record your findings, and divide recommendations into three main categories:

An energy survey is a key element in any energy management program.

Ideally, your first survey should take place as part of the development of your energy strategy. Objectives can then be set based on knowledge rather than instinct.

Practices and technology change, so you should consider running a full energy survey around every five years – more frequently if circumstances dictate.

An alternative approach is to have a rolling program that looks at different parts of the organization in stages.

Considering opting for a commercial energy survey. Then look at equipment suppliers to assist you in areas where you think that investment is required. If you

Use your MM&T system to identify opportunities for energy saving through a number of techniques, including:

Developing the strategy will identify which initial actions are needed to put good energy management into effect.

These actions should form a live energy plan that is regularly updated to show progress and development. The action plan will expand to include specific actions to identify opportunities and implement energy reduction projects.

To be effective an action plan should:

Create organizational change from the inside out.

Everyone in a company should be responsible for their actions when it comes to energy use. There needs to be an understanding of what makes the organization tick and what will drive people to do what you want.

People are more likely to change their actions if they understand how their actions affect consumption.

You can access our Green Guides here.

The success of any workforce engagement can be measured through hard energy data, but it may be difficult in the early stages to clearly see the impact. Lights and computers that are switched off over the lunch break may be a simple sign of behavior changing.

Energy management is a process of continuous control and improvement, and not a one-off blitz.

You want to check that targets are being met by setting up recording and monitoring systems.

Monitoring and Targeting (M&T) - The process of continuous recording and monitoring of energy use against consumption targets - is shown to be an effective management tool in many organizations.

Spread the good news to encourage people who have contributed towards success and to let stakeholders know their interests are being met.

Be sure that publicity is relevant to the target audience. For instance, senior management will want to see how much money is saved. Employees will want to find out how their working conditions have improved.

Producing an energy management report is key to communication. To achieve full participation, everyone in the organization must understand:

• What action is being taken,
• What is being done, for example, the aims and targets set,
• When the action will occur, for example, campaign launches and milestones,
• How they can be involved.

Use the long-text form field to record this information.

Publicizing action to be taken should:

It is clear that where best practice takes place, there is positive communication both internally and externally. Good communication is essential for both the deployment and sustainability of the best practices.

There are a number of channels that an organization can use to publicize its activity and results.

Internal channels include:

Value can be added to internally generated statements if they can be shown to be verified or independently assessed.

External channels include:

Be aware of common barriers to success. Check off the tasks below to confirm an understanding of the barrier.

In practice, your energy management systems will need to be BS EN 16001 or ISO 50001 certified to run a regular management review.

If you stop monitoring your energy regulary then slippage will set in, which is where the waste will start to re-occur. The key is to embed behaviors in the fabric of the business to ensure continual improvement. So keep

• Carbon Trust - Energy management self-assessment tool
• Business Juice - Energy Management
• ade - Energy Management
• Lawrence J. Becker - Welcome to the Energy Crisis 
• Pew Research Center - Renewable energy is growing fast in the U.S., but fossil fuels still dominate
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• Carbon Trust - Energy Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Controlling Energy Use
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