ISO 50021:2019

Energy management and energy savings - General guidelines for selecting energy savings evaluators

This document gives guidelines for selecting energy savings evaluators to determine ex-post (realized) energy savings for projects, organizations and regions. It gives general principles and identifies the key factors to consider. It also defines roles and responsibilities, recommends the required competence and provides key elements for assessing the knowledge and skills of energy savings evaluators. At the project and organization level, this document is applicable to both internal and external energy savings evaluators. Selecting evaluators who calculate predicted energy savings is out of the scope of this document.

Lignes directrices générales pour la sélection des personnes chargées d'évaluer les économies d'énergie

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 18-Feb-2019
• ICS: 27.015 - Energy efficiency. Energy conservation in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 301 - Energy management and energy savings
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 301 - Energy management and energy savings
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 12-Dec-2024
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 50021:2019 - "Energy management and energy savings - General guidelines for selecting energy savings evaluators" provides guidance on choosing qualified people (or teams) to determine ex‑post (realized) energy savings for projects, organizations and regions. The standard defines roles (e.g., lead energy savings evaluator, selector), sets out principles for selection, and recommends the knowledge, skills and competence needed to deliver credible, transparent and impartial energy savings evaluations. Selecting evaluators who calculate predicted energy savings is explicitly out of scope.

Key Topics

• Scope and objectives: Applicable at project, organization and regional levels; relevant for internal and external evaluators; focused on ex‑post energy savings evaluation.
• Selection considerations: Final objectives, subject of evaluation (project, organization, city/region), evaluation approach, reporting requirements, and budget/time constraints.
• Approaches and methods: Top‑down (entity or indicator‑based) and bottom‑up (measure‑based, modelling, calibrated simulation, direct comparison); methods should be agreed before evaluation.
• Principles for selection: Confidentiality, impartiality, transparency, competence and professional conduct.
• Roles and responsibilities: Definitions for evaluators, lead evaluators and selectors - who leads, reviews and assures consistency of the evaluation.
• Competence and credentials: Recommended elements to assess knowledge, skills, education, experience and records; Annexes provide examples of selection methods, required knowledge and skills, demonstration of competence and acceptable credentials.
• Reporting: Requirements on accuracy, documentation, format, units (kWh, GJ, etc.), confidentiality and whether CO2 equivalents are included.

Applications

ISO 50021 is practical for:

• Energy managers and sustainability teams selecting internal or external evaluators to verify realized savings from Energy Performance Improvement Actions (EPIAs).
• Programme administrators, regulators and financing institutions that require independent, credible ex‑post evaluation for policy assessment, subsidy or loan verification, or compliance reporting.
• Consultants and evaluation firms preparing bids or structuring qualifications to meet client requirements for ex‑post energy savings verification.

Using ISO 50021 helps ensure energy savings evaluations are credible, consistent and aligned with stakeholder objectives - improving financial decision‑making, policy assessment and energy management outcomes.

Related Standards

• ISO 17741, ISO 17742 and ISO 50047 - referenced as providing additional approaches and methods for determining energy savings.
• ISO 50001 - related energy management system terminology and context.

Keywords: ISO 50021:2019, energy savings evaluators, energy savings evaluation, ex‑post verification, energy management, evaluator competence, top‑down, bottom‑up, EPIA.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 50021
First edition
2019-02
Energy management and energy
savings — General guidelines for
selecting energy savings evaluators
Lignes directrices générales pour la sélection des personnes chargées
d'évaluer les économies d'énergie
Reference number
©
ISO 2019
© ISO 2019
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
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ISO copyright office
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Considerations for selecting energy savings evaluators . 3
4.1 General . 3
4.2 Final objectives of the energy savings evaluation. 3
4.3 Subjects of the energy savings evaluation . 3
4.4 Approaches to the energy savings evaluation . 3
4.5 Reporting requirements . 4
4.6 Budgets for the energy savings evaluation . 4
5 Roles and responsibilities . 4
6 Principles for selecting energy savings evaluators . 5
6.1 General . 5
6.2 Confidentiality . 5
6.3 Impartiality . 5
6.4 Transparency . 6
6.5 Competence . 6
6.6 Professional conduct . 6
7 Competencies of energy savings evaluators . 6
7.1 General . 6
7.2 Knowledge and skills . 7
7.3 Demonstration of knowledge and skills . 7
7.3.1 General. 7
7.3.2 Education . 7
7.3.3 Experience . 7
7.3.4 Records and credentials . 7
Annex A (informative) Examples of selection methods for energy savings evaluators .8
Annex B (informative) Examples of the knowledge and skills of energy savings evaluators .9
Annex C (informative) Examples of demonstrating the knowledge and skills of energy
savings evaluators (education and experience) .13
Annex D (informative) Examples of credentials for energy savings evaluators .15
Bibliography .16
Foreword
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.org/iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 301, Energy management and energy
savings.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/members .html.
iv © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document provides guidelines for the selection of energy savings evaluators, i.e. people conducting
energy savings evaluations who have the required knowledge and skills to determine energy savings
leading to credible and reliable results. Energy savings evaluations are widely used for assessing
programme effects and policy impacts, and for validation and/or verification of results at project,
organization and region levels.
At the project level, energy savings evaluation results can help entities reduce operating costs and
determine financial returns, help government regulators understand policy impacts, and help financing
institutions make loan or grant decisions.
At the organization level, energy savings evaluation results can help leaders of organizations reduce
operating costs and control risks.
At the region level, energy savings evaluation results can help governments understand and improve
the impacts of policies.
Evaluation methods to determine energy savings vary depending on the level (project, organization or
region). Different knowledge and skills are required for each level.
By selecting an appropriate energy savings evaluator with the required knowledge and skills, it
is possible to properly calculate the energy savings and to implement climate and energy policy
agreements appropriately.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 50021:2019(E)
Energy management and energy savings — General
guidelines for selecting energy savings evaluators
1 Scope
This document gives guidelines for selecting energy savings evaluators to determine ex-post (realized)
energy savings for projects, organizations and regions. It gives general principles and identifies the key
factors to consider. It also defines roles and responsibilities, recommends the required competence and
provides key elements for assessing the knowledge and skills of energy savings evaluators.
At the project and organization level, this document is applicable to both internal and external energy
savings evaluators.
Selecting evaluators who calculate predicted energy savings is out of the scope of this document.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
3.1
energy savings
reduction of energy consumption compared to an energy baseline
Note 1 to entry: Energy savings may be the result of implementation of an action(s) or of autonomous progress.
Note 2 to entry: An evaluation of savings from implementation of actions may need to identify the separate
impacts of the actions compared to other factors.
[SOURCE: ISO 17743:2016, 3.8, modified — The notes to entry have been replaced.]
3.2
energy savings evaluation
systematic process to measure, quantify, verify, analyse and report energy savings (3.1) within a defined
boundary
3.3
energy savings evaluator
individual, or a team of people, conducting an energy savings evaluation (3.2)
Note 1 to entry: The internal energy savings evaluator is affiliated with the implementer of the evaluated project
or evaluated organizations.
Note 2 to entry: The external energy savings evaluator who is being entrusted or commissioned is not affiliated
with the interested parties or entities to be evaluated.
3.4
lead energy savings evaluator
person who is competent to lead and/or review and provides assurance of consistency to relevant
requirements of an energy savings evaluation (3.2)
Note 1 to entry: A lead energy savings evaluator might also take part in an energy savings evaluation.
3.5
selector of energy savings evaluator
entity or personnel appointed by the client to choose an energy savings evaluator
Note 1 to entry: the client is an organization or a person requesting energy savings evaluation (3.2). The client
could be the responsible party, the programme administrator or the interested party.
3.6
objective
results to be achieved
Note 1 to entry: An objective can be strategic, tactical or operational.
Note 2 to entry: Objectives can relate to different disciplines (such as financial, health and safety, and
environmental goals) and can apply at different levels (such as strategic, organization-wide, project, product and
process).
Note 3 to entry: An objective can be expressed in other ways, e.g. as an intended outcome, a purpose, an
operational criterion, as an energy objective, or by the use of other words with similar meaning (e.g. aim, goal).
[SOURCE: ISO 50001:2018, 3.4.13, modified — Note 4 to entry has been deleted.]
3.7
competence
ability to apply knowledge (3.9) and skills (3.10) to achieve intended results of energy savings
evaluation (3.2)
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.10.4, modified — “of energy savings evaluation” has been added to the
definition and the notes to entry have been deleted.]
3.8
experience
combination of knowledge (3.9) and skills (3.10) obtained through a period of practical
application of carrying out energy savings evaluation (3.2)
3.9
knowledge
assimilation of facts, theories and practices with regard to carrying out an energy savings
evaluation (3.2)
3.10
skill
ability to apply knowledge (3.9) in order to carry out an energy savings evaluation (3.2)
3.11
energy performance improvement action
EPIA
action, measure, or group of actions or measures implemented or planned within an organization
intended to achieve energy performance improvement through technological, managerial or
operational, behavioural, economical or other changes
[SOURCE: ISO 50015:2014, 3.5]
2 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

4 Considerations for selecting energy savings evaluators
4.1 General
When selecting the energy savings evaluator, the following key factors, explained in more detail below,
should be considered:
— the final objectives of the energy savings evaluation;
— the subjects of the energy savings evaluation;
— the approaches to the energy savings evaluation;
— the reporting requirements;
— the budgets for the energy savings evaluation.
Some of the key factors affecting the energy savings evaluation may be confirmed in the planning stage
by the evaluation client (e.g. final objectives). Other factors will be confirmed in the planning process
by either the energy savings evaluators or the evaluators’ organization. The energy savings evaluators
may be selected from competitive bids or appointed from internal employees based on how well the
potential energy savings evaluator understands the key factors and needs of the evaluation.
4.2 Final objectives of the energy savings evaluation
Energy savings evaluators should be assessed on an understanding of the basic knowledge of final
objectives. This includes, but is not limited to:
— the financial return of EPIAs;
— the policy effect(s);
— financial assistance (e.g. subsidy, loan, grant);
— compliance with various initiatives and commitments to various interested parties (e.g. to
government and industry);
— verification of an energy savings claim;
— technical issues involved in the EPIA or other improvement actions being evaluated;
— energy efficiency benchmarking.
4.3 Subjects of the energy savings evaluation
The subject(s) of an energy savings evaluation can include:
— a project;
— an organization (or part of an organization);
— a city, region or country;
— a group of organizations;
— any other entity that has the capacity to make energy savings.
4.4 Approaches to the energy savings evaluation
Energy savings evaluators should have the technical competence to apply suitable calculation
method(s) for a certain approach(es) to fulfil an evaluation task. The methods should be agreed prior to
the evaluation.
Examples of approaches and corresponding methods include, but are not limited to:
— a top-down approach, which is an entity-based approach (e.g. evaluating the change in the total
energy consumption of the whole entity, such as a building, organization or city) involving indicator-
based calculation methods;
— a bottom-up approach, which involves measure-based calculation methods, aggregating energy
savings from identified EPIAs, energy consumption-relevant variables modelling, calibrated
simulation and direct comparison;
— identifying the separate impacts of the energy saving actions compared to other factors.
NOTE ISO 17741, ISO 17742 and ISO 50047 give approaches and methods for determining energy savings.
These International Standards can be applied independently or in combination.
4.5 Reporting requirements
Energy savings evaluators should have the competencies to satisfy specific reporting requirements
agreed to prior to the evaluation. Some issues for consideration include:
— the level of accuracy of energy savings evaluation results;
— whether or not a formal report is needed;
— requirements on reporting format and data documentation;
— confidentiality;
— energy units to be used (e.g. kWh, GJ, toe);
— whether the report is solely about energy or if CO equivalents are also expected.
4.6 Budgets for the energy savings evaluation
The financial and time budgets are likely to affect the quality of the energy savings evaluation and
the qualification of energy savings evaluators. Budget and time should be set in order to allow hiring
of energy savings evaluators with the appropriate competency to achieve the desired outcomes. In
determining the financial and time budgets, the following factors should be considered:
— the final objective of the energy savings evaluation;
— the subject of the energy savings evaluation;
— the scale and complexity of the subject;
— the level of required accuracy for the results of the energy savings evaluations;
— the availability of data and evaluation models, including completeness, timeliness, granularity, etc.;
— the availability of the technical means to carry out the necessary data collection (e.g. measurement,
recording, storing);
— the methods for evaluation [e.g. measurement and verification (M&V), simple statistical calculation
or extensive calibrated modelling, calculation especially desired accuracy].
5 Roles and responsibilities
The main roles and responsibilities for selector of energy savings evaluator, lead energy savings
evaluator and additional team member(s) of the energy savings evaluator are defined in Table 1.
NOTE Examples of selection methods for energy savings evaluators are shown in Annex A.
4 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Table 1 — Roles and responsibilities for selector of energy savings evaluator, lead energy
savings evaluator and additional team member(s) of the energy savings evaluator
Selector Additional team
Lead energy
of energy member(s) of the
Roles and responsibilities savings
savings energy savings
evaluator
evaluator evaluator
Set the specifications for the energy savings evaluation X
(including time frame, budget and required competences)
and possibly organize a tendering process
Submit a bid describing how the energy savings evaluation X
would be performed (data collection, data processing, etc.)
Agree on the energy savings evaluation contract (possibly X X
including negotiations of budget and/or other contractual
aspects)
Agree on the energy savings evaluation methodology X X X
(boundary, evaluation method, baseline, etc.)
Ensure that the energy savings evaluator will have access X
to the information needed for the energy savings evaluation
Perform the energy savings evaluation (data collection, X X
data processing, etc.)
Report the energy savings evaluation X X
Communicate the energy savings evaluation X X X
Manage the energy savings evaluation work within the X
agreed time frame and budget
Mitigate the risks of the energy savings evaluation X X
process regarding budget, data, etc.
6 Principles for selecting energy savings evaluators
6.1 General
The selection of an energy savings evaluator is governed by several principles. The selection should
be made in a way that allows clients to assess whether the proposed energy savings evaluator has the
competence to perform the required energy savings evaluation consistently.
6.2 Confidentiality
Prior to the start of the energy savings evaluation, the energy savings evaluator agrees to the
confidentiality agreement established by the selector of the energy savings evaluator, which is related
to the disclosure or distribution of the results of the energy savings evaluation (e.g. the funder of the
energy savings evaluation,
...