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ISO 50001Energy policy (clause 5.2)

Energy policy under ISO 50001

The energy policy is a mandatory document under clause 5.2 of ISO 50001:2018 . Top management records what the organisation wants to achieve with energy management and which commitments it makes. It is a governance document, not marketing text. NEN  publishes the official Dutch version of the standard. A good energy policy forms the basis for your objectives and action plans, and an auditor checks whether the policy matches the reality of your company.

An energy policy does not need to be a long document. One well-written page, signed by top management, is enough. The content matters, not the length.

On this page

The formal content requirements of ISO 50001.

What does clause 5.2 require?

A concrete example that is ready for an audit.

Example energy policy

How the policy and objectives connect.

Link with objectives

What auditors encounter most often.

Common mistakes

What does clause 5.2 require?

Clause 5.2 states that the energy policy must cover at least four things:

  1. Continual improvement: The organisation continually improves its energy performance and its EnMS (energy management system).
  2. Legal and other requirements: The organisation complies with the legal obligations and other requirements that apply to its energy use. Think of the EED obligation for 2027 and the EED audit obligation.
  3. Information and resources: The organisation makes information and resources available to achieve its energy objectives.
  4. Objectives and measures: The policy supports the purchase of energy-efficient products, services and equipment, and energy-saving designs.

The policy must also:

  • Be documented in writing
  • Be signed by the highest-ranking manager (managing director, CEO, or equivalent)
  • Be available to employees and other relevant parties
  • Be reviewed periodically to stay up to date

What the policy does not need to contain

The standard does not require you to include specific consumption targets in the policy itself. Those belong in the objectives (clause 6.2). The policy sets the direction; the objectives contain the figures.

Example energy policy

Below is a concrete example that meets clause 5.2. Adapt it to your own situation.

Energy policy [Company name]

Adopted by management, [date]

[Company name] recognises that energy is a significant cost and that our energy use affects the environment. We are committed to structurally improving our energy performance.

Our commitments:

We comply with all applicable legal requirements on energy, including the requirements of the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

We aim for continual improvement of our energy management system (EnMS) and our energy performance. That means: better every year than the year before.

We make the necessary resources, information and authority available so that our energy objectives can be achieved.

When purchasing equipment and services, and when designing installations, we take energy performance into account as a criterion.

Communication and responsibility:

This policy is available to all employees. Everyone contributes to saving energy within their own role.

The energy manager is responsible for implementing the EnMS. Management monitors progress in the annual management review.

Signed: [name], [job title], [date]

Avoid vague ambitions such as “we strive for a sustainable future”. Such sentences cannot be verified and attract critical comments during an audit. Write down what you will concretely do and record it.

The energy policy is the umbrella. The objectives are the concrete implementation underneath it.

The policy says: “We aim for continual improvement of our energy performance.”

The objective makes it concrete: “Reduce electricity use per unit produced from 12 kWh to 10 kWh by 31 December 2026.”

The action plan describes: “Leak detection in the compressed air system (Q2 2026), frequency controller on the compressor (Q3 2026), saving of 15%, responsible: facility manager, budget €45,000.”

Without this link, an energy policy is an empty statement. The auditor checks whether the policy, objectives and action plans logically connect. See the requirements of ISO 50001 for an overview of all clauses and how they relate.

Periodic review

The policy must stay current. At each management review, check whether the energy policy is still correct:

  • Have new legal obligations been added?
  • Has the organisation’s strategy changed?
  • Have the ambitions been adjusted based on results achieved?

If the policy no longer matches the situation, update it and have management sign it again.

Energy policy and other ISO standards

If you also have ISO 14001, you can integrate the energy policy with the environmental policy. Both standards follow the High Level Structure (HLS), so the structure is comparable.

Combined policy: One document that covers both the environmental and the energy policy. This saves documentation and gives employees a more consistent picture. The condition is that all requirements of both standards appear in it.

Separate documents: This also works, as long as there are no contradictions.

During a combined audit with ISO 14001, the auditor reviews both policy documents in one visit.

Common mistakes

Policy signed by the energy manager instead of management. ISO 50001 explicitly requires the highest-ranking manager. A signature from the energy manager is not sufficient.

No current date. A policy without a date, or with a date from 4 years ago, gives the impression that it is not actively managed.

Objectives in the policy. Objectives belong in clause 6.2 (objectives), not in the policy itself. If you write “we save 15% in 2025”, that is an objective, not a policy principle.

Policy unknown to employees. The auditor sometimes asks a random employee: “Do you know that we have an energy policy?” If the answer is “no”, that is a finding.

Too ambitious and not substantiated. “We will be CO2-neutral by 2030” in a policy without an action plan or budget for it is an empty statement. Write down what you will actually do.

More information

Sources

Energy data measurement planGlossary