An energy efficiency auditing is an independent, systematic and documented process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively. The energy efficiency auditing serves to determine the extent to which the energy management system meets the goals set by the organisation and the normative criteria, e.g. DIN EN ISO 50001.
There are different types of an audit. On the one hand, the company has to conduct internal audits to control the energy management system and on the other hand, the certification process of the energy management system consists of an audit. Furthermore, there is the pre-audit, as well as the monitoring and repeat audit within the scope of the certification.
For the verification of the energy management system, an internal energy efficiency auditing must be carried out at regular intervals. The organisation must determine and plan in advance at what intervals and in what manner this internal audit is to be carried out. It is recommended to organize an internal audit once a year. It is also possible to audit only one area of the organisation during an audit. However, when striving for a certificate, each area should be audited at least once.
The certification audit consists of two individual energy efficiency auditing that together leads to the certification of a company's energy management system.
First, the stage 1 audit verifies that the company is ready for the actual certification audit (stage 2 audit). This is done through introductory talks and review of the structures, as well as the current implementation of the energy management standard.
Once the first stage has been successfully completed, the energy management system is evaluated with regard to its effectiveness in stage 2 energy efficiency auditing. For this purpose, the scope, as well as the requirements of DIN EN ISO 50001, are taken into account. As part of this audit, on-site inspections are carried out at the customer's premises, thus testing the effectiveness of the energy management system on the basis of the practical application of the implemented system elements.
Before the two-stage certification process, a company has the opportunity to have its energy management system evaluated in advance by the certification organisation. This is not mandatory and therefore the services provided here cannot be credited to the certification process. During this pre-audit, an auditor assesses the extent to which the company has already implemented the requirements of DIN EN ISO 50001, where weaknesses still exist and which measures still need to be implemented in order to bring the system to certification maturity.
The certification process includes regular surveillance audits for the duration of the certificate's validity. These serve to regularly check the essential requirements of DIN EN ISO 50001 and to ensure the proper use of the certificate. In addition, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the corrective measures to the deviations of previous audits is carried out as part of these surveillance audits.
The repeat audit is the basic prerequisite for the extension of an existing certificate of an energy management system. Within the scope of the repeat audit, the effectiveness of the entire energy management system is checked again. The repeat audit corresponds to audit level 2 of the initial certification.