Energy management system implementation in Serbian manufacturing – Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle approach

Abstract

In Serbia, a developing country, energy consumption per capita is higher than in most other countries in the region. Implementation of energy management practices is therefore necessary to cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This paper gives an insight into how energy management is implemented in Serbian manufacturing (focusing on food processing and manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products, defined as priority industrial sectors). No similar study for Serbian manufacturing has been published. The study was carried out using an on-line questionnaire based on the ISO 50001 requirements. Questions were grouped into 16 categories and presented according to the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. The proposed methodology has not been used by other researchers for similar problems. The survey was conducted in 52 organizations and lasted from May to December 2015. We found that the average level of requirements fulfillment in priority industrial sectors in Serbia is 59.05%. Full implementation was found in only 5.8% of participating organizations. Average implementation of the PLAN phase (establishing basics for energy management) is 61.87%, implementation of the DO phase (realization of energy management processes) is 59.98%, implementation of the CHECK phase (monitoring and measurement of energy performance) is 59.61%, and finally, implementation of the ACT phase (review and improvement of energy management) is only 35.34%. The study results offer scientific data for improving national policy and education on energy management in Serbia.