Get Recognized: 50001 Ready for Facilities and End Users

Getting started?

How many energy best practices can you find at your facility? 50001 Ready can help you build on your existing business practices to establish a culture of continual energy improvement.

How do facilities participate in the 50001 Ready program?

Achieving the 50001 Ready designation at the facility level involves three key steps:

	Complete the 25 tasks in the 50001 Ready Navigator Follow the guidance and track your progress through four topic areas (Planning, Energy Review, Continual Improvement, and System Management) in the 50001 Ready Navigator, an online guide provided by DOE. All guidance in the Navigator will be maintained by DOE to ensure alignment with ISO 50001. Find out more about the 50001 Ready Navigator >
	Self-attest to their completion Have your energy management team lead and a senior management representative sign a simple self-attestation form to confirm the establishment of an energy management system once all tasks in the 50001 Ready Navigator have been completed. Upload your signed Attestation Form in the Navigator.
	Measure and improve energy performance over time Use DOE’s Energy Performance Indicator Tool Lite (EnPI Lite), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Portfolio Manager, or other calculators provided by utility programs to model, compare and report annual energy performance. Find out about energy performance calculators >

Throughout the process, you will have access to subject matter expertise and technical support from the 50001 Ready program's Help Desk. DOE continues to develop its Tools and Resources to best support your self-paced, self-directed implementation of a 50001 Ready EnMS. For additional expert assistance, find out how to tap into ISO 50001 training and check out the 50001 Ready Partners that offer resources such as in-person training workshops, remote coaching, and financial incentives. Already using ISO 14001? Check out DOE’s Adaptation Guide and detailed Crosswalk to find out how to leverage your ISO 14001 system to add 50001 Ready and ISO 50001.

At this time, DOE's 50001 Ready designation is only issued at the facility level—this means that if your organization has multiple facilities, you have the opportunity to achieve multiple 50001 Ready designations. Some facilities may consist of multiple buildings (such as campuses and complexes); Task 3 in the Navigator is for you to determine the scope and boundaries of your 50001 Ready EnMS.

Completing these steps to achieve the 50001 Ready designation typically takes between 6-18 months, though it may be much sooner if you already participate in programs like Better Buildings, Better Plants. With the 50001 Ready designation, DOE will publicly feature your organization on its website and provide you with materials to help promote the achievements of your 50001 Ready facilities. You will also have the opportunity to work with DOE to develop case studies and other material to showcase your EnMS journey.

The 50001 Ready designation is valid for one year, and may be renewed twice for one-year periods. Renewal requires only a re-attestation of your EnMS, and a recent energy performance improvement report.

How can 50001 Ready bring value to your business?

Reduce operational costs and uncertainty
An energy management system positions your organization to achieve and sustain energy and cost savings through informed and systematic decision-making. Structuring the management of energy—like most organizations already do with finance, personnel, inventory, production, and quality—improves certainty in outcomes and reduces the risk of unexpected energy-related financial obligations. Following implementation of an energy management system, business leaders in all types of organizations have seen substantial improvements in facility energy performance.

Qualify for utility rebate programs
The 50001 Ready program provides expert guidance for establishing a management system to identify, prioritize, and implement projects that will improve your facilities' energy performance, and to measure those gains over time. Tracking of comprehensive performance analytics to validate continuous improvement may allow your organization to participate in energy efficiency programs and take advantage of performance rebates offered by state and local utility programs.

Improve your competitiveness
The 50001 Ready program aligns with existing corporate business management systems and operating practices, and enables companies to increase their energy productivity while also improving health, safety and comfort. Energy savings make an immediate contribution to your bottom line, and recurring efficiencies can be translated directly into accelerated capital and human resource investments for your organization.

Influence your value chain
Achieving the 50001 Ready designation allows your organization to lead by example and encourage the establishment of structured energy management systems by your suppliers and value chain partners. This can result in more agile and efficient operations by reducing the energy uncertainty of inbound and outbound activities, while building a community of trusted partners to share energy management best practices.

Demonstrate business leadership
By joining 50001 Ready, cutting-edge organizations will be early leaders in gaining the value of structured energy management systems, and your experiences and input will help guide DOE as it supports the adoption of these systems and unlocks the resultant savings for the overall U.S. economy.

Get started on 50001 Ready today! >

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Frequently Asked Questions

Click "More" below to read Frequently Asked Questions about getting your facility 50001 Ready-recognized. Additional FAQs can be found here.

What is 50001 Ready?

50001 Ready is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designation for facilities and organizations that have implemented an ISO 50001-based energy management system (EnMS) using the guidance in DOE’s 50001 Ready Navigator online application. To be 50001 Ready recognized, organizations are responsible for completing the 50001 Ready Navigator tasks, self-attesting to their completion, and measuring and improving energy performance over time. The 50001 Ready designation does not replace and is not a substitute for ISO 50001 certification, and does not imply endorsement by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

What are the benefits of becoming 50001 Ready?

Implementing a structured EnMS will help any organization elevate and integrate energy management into everyday business practices. Conforming to the guidelines set by the 50001 Ready program will ensure that your EnMS is implemented with the best practices set by ISO 50001, and will set the foundation for sustained improvement. DOE recognition can also communicate corporate leadership in energy management and social responsibility to your customers.

What are the requirements to becoming 50001 Ready?

Achieving the 50001 Ready designation involves three key steps: (1) Completing all 25 tasks in the 50001 Ready Navigator, (2) Submitting a self-attestation form that all 25 tasks have been completed, and (3) Measuring and improving energy performance over time. Facilities are not required to demonstrate energy performance improvement to receive their first year of recognition, though this is required for subsequent years.

How long will it take to become 50001 Ready?

This can vary widely depending on the complexity of the facility, the availability of energy data, and the extent to which energy improvement opportunities have already been explored. A typical timeframe for an industrial facility is around a year; across all types of organizations, the entire process is expected to range from 6 to 18 months.

What will it cost to become 50001 Ready?

There are no costs associated with setting up a 50001 Ready management system. DOE resources are freely available to all; no other financial incentives are available from DOE. Organizations will need to invest the time of their responsible staff as well as decide whether to invest in energy improvements that sometimes require upfront costs.

What kind of support will DOE provide to become 50001 Ready?

The 50001 Ready Navigator contains extensive guidance on how to complete all the necessary tasks, with worksheets, templates, and other resources available depending on the task. DOE has established a help desk support function accessible through the Navigator that will provide assistance by e-mail to address any questions or concerns you may have while working through the implementation tasks.

Once the community of Navigator users expands, DOE will begin conducting periodic webinars to instruct users on how to overcome various EnMS implementation challenges. Early adopters of the 50001 Ready program and organizations with an existing relationship with DOE through their participation in other efficiency programs may have access to additional dedicated technical support resources, please Contact Us for any clarification.

Does 50001 Ready require an Energy Management Information System?

No, 50001 Ready does not require use of any particular building software or hardware, though an energy management information system (EMIS) and related building management tools could certainly be beneficial in systematizing data collection, monitoring, and auditing.

What are the energy performance reporting requirements for 50001 Ready?

DOE has developed the Energy Performance Indicator Tool Lite (EnPI Lite) as a companion tool for the 50001 Ready Navigator that performs regression-based modeling of energy performance. EnPI Lite has been designed to generate an output file that meets the reporting requirements for 50001 Ready recognition, but energy performance calculations for DOE recognition can be reported in a number of formats including summary output from EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, DOE’s EnPI tool, and tools from utility SEM programs. Please Contact Us if you would like to inquire about a specific reporting method.

Can my facility be 50001 Ready if it has not yet shown energy performance improvement?

Yes, DOE recognizes that variances in the timing of EnMS implementation and the requesting of 50001 Ready recognition may skew performance outcomes. Therefore, for initial recognition, a facility may receive the 50001 Ready designation by completing all tasks and simply comparing energy performance between two years, regardless of outcomes. In order to maintain that designation, future energy data will need to show positive annual energy performance improvement.

How will DOE recognize facilities that are 50001 Ready?

DOE will issue certificates and maintain a public listing online of 50001 Ready facilities. Printed certificates, posters and banners for recognized facilities with DOE and 50001 Ready program marks will be available. 50001 Ready facilities may also have the opportunity to contribute to DOE case studies or present findings with DOE at conferences and other speaking engagements.

Are there any public reporting requirements for 50001 Ready?

No, 50001 Ready does not require any public reporting of policies or outcomes. DOE will list only company names and the location (city) of 50001 Ready facilities in its online listing of recognized facilities. Performance data reported through the 50001 Ready program will only be disclosed by DOE at a program-wide, aggregate level. Organizations will be given the opportunity to share more information about their 50001 Ready experience through case studies and other materials, but this is not required for recognition.

I have multiple facilities covered under a single corporate energy management strategy. Can my overall organization be 50001 Ready?

At this time, 50001 Ready recognition is intended for individual facilities only. (Note that a facility may include multiple buildings or structures, in accordance with the scope and boundaries defined in Task 1.) While an overall organization can be certified to ISO 50001, recognition for achieving corporate-level implementation is still being developed for the 50001 Ready program.

How long does the 50001 Ready designation last, and is there a re-certification process?

The 50001 Ready designation is good for one year from the date that DOE issues recognition for the successful facility. In order to renew the designation after the first year, you will need to submit, through the 50001 Ready Navigator, re-attestation that the EnMS has been maintained and documentation of energy performance improvement. After two renewals, facilities will also be required to re-confirm completion of all 25 tasks in the Navigator.