Evolution of Energy Audits and Energy Management Systems: Legislation, Tools and Professionals at the Service of Energy Efficiency

Abstract

For several decades, Energy Audits have been recognised as a key tool for designing and implementing interventions to improve the overall efficiency of systems, sites and fleets. This concept has gained both European and international recognition for understanding and identifying situations that can yield efficiency gains. This has been re-affirmed with the recent publication of the “Directive (EU) 2023/1791 13 09 23 on energy efficiency” As far as regulatory tools are concerned, the European standards UNI CEI EN 16247 Energy Audits: 1,2,3 e 4 have recently been revised, while at internation-al level, the current revision of ISO 50002 “Energy Audits Requirements with guidance for use (1-2-3” aims to replace the European standards for an unambiguous international reference. Regarding the professionals involved, the revision of ’UNI CEI 11339 Energy Management Experts...’ will include the competences of the Energy Auditor, as 16247-5. This contribution aims to illustrate the most recent state of the art at the date of its publication. It will be useful to guide practitioners on how to prepare themselves in the short and medium term to comply with the regulations, enabling them to organise themselves effectively and offer energy efficiency solutions calculated and guaranteed by certified professionals or organisations to their customers and users.