Energy Management – Trends towards holistic thinking in Management
While the notion of thinking holistically has been around for a long time, Allan Savory is one of the first to develop a step by step process for holistic decision-making. His method can be used by individuals, families, communities, organizations, businesses, government agencies -- anyone or any group that needs to make a decision.
This method first helps the decision-makers identify all the important people and resources relating to the issue at hand, especially those that are very often forgotten. The next step is to bring these elements together into a new "whole", represented by a short "statement of purpose". With ...view middle of the document...
Senior managers require to be convinced of the business case to ensure investment of funds and also staff time in managing and conserving energy. Securing commitment from top level executives and managers in the beginning of the process will help guarantee success of such energy management initiatives.
To ensure this, obtain senior management dedication and commitment by illustrating how energy management ties in to the organization's business strategy. Energy management does offer measurable cost savings and also secures opportunities to employ students and faculty. It is also capable of positioning the organization as a one which is progressive and also making a real difference in the local community, thereby going global via its commitment.
As shown in the below chart, commitment towards energy management requires both, setting goals and objectives focusing towards activities like energy management and also skills and process alignment towards that objective:-
To ensure this commitment we need an energy policy which is a written statement of higher management's commitment to regulating energy usage and its environmental impact. It is generally a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). For big organizations it should be about two pages long.
Further adding to the above idea an energy strategy can also be implemented which is a working and implementable document setting out how energy efficiency can be managed in an organization. It contains an action plan, which will involves understanding the current position of the organization thereby establishing the management framework.
2. The Importance of a Plan
The job of an energy management plan is to formalize the organization’s commitment towards energy management and also to develop a way to communicate this responsibility to students, staff, faculty and other stakeholders. A plan generates a framework for identifying energy efficiency opportunities and also provides a benchmark for monitoring future performance. In doing so it also clearly mentions the energy management roles and responsibilities.
A good plan gives information on energy-usage, sets goals and targets, defines energy saving avenues and covers financial evaluations of proposed actions. Apart from this, the plan should also include procedures for employing and communicating with students and staff and provide room for staff training. An efficient plan will also summarize how energy usage will be monitored, regulated and reported.
3. Integrate Energy Management into the Organization
Generally, energy management should be integrated in its entirety into multiple aspects of the organization. Initiate this by creating an understanding of the organization's operational management systems and identifying what all policies relate to energy management. Then it is required to understand how energy management adjusts into the organization's overall corporate strategy. Further exploration of opportunities linked to energy...
