Enablers an barriers of implementing ISO 50001 - Energy Management Systems(EnMS) in Sri Lankan context

Abstract

Energy is critical to organizational operations and can be a major cost to organizations. Besides the economic costs, energy crisis can impose various environmental and societal costs by reducing resources and supporting environmental problems. Especially in buildings, energy is considered as one of the main cost centres for their operations. Considering the importance of managing energy, a number of national, regional and international Energy Management Systems (EnMSs) have been developed to integrate energy efficiency into organisations’ management practices while finetuning operating processes and improving efficiency of industrial systems. Among them, ISO 50001-EnMS, which was introduced by International Organization of Standardization (ISO) is the most popular system which has been implemented all over the world. However, literature and preliminary studies revealed that there are very few ISO-50001-EnMS applications within Sri Lanka. Hence, there is a little doubt relating to the implementation of ISO 50001-EnMS in Sri Lankan Context. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically review the enablers and barriers of implementing ISO 50001-EnMS in Sri Lankan context. A comprehensive literature review, desk study and a preliminary expert survey were employed in achieving the aim of the paper. The research findings identified that financial constraints; lack of experts relating to EnMsSs; unawareness on the importance of applicability; complexity of documentation processes; institutional complexities and different cultural aspects as the most critical barriers while identifying the improved organizational image; well-documented energy utilization procedures; regulatory compliances and internal/external recognition and rewards as the key enablers for the implementation of ISO 50001-EnMS in Sri Lanka.