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Superior Energy Performance 50001 (SEP 50001) and its predecessor, Superior Energy Performance (SEP), were developed with active participation by industry members of the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing (U.S. CEEM) and certified companies. This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
This page provides a definition of SEP 50001 equivalency for national governments interested in replicating the SEP 50001 program in their countries, using the program’s globally-referenced standards.
- Definition 1 denotes the standards and normative references used in SEP 50001 certification
- Definition 2 denotes the requirements for SEP 50001 equivalency
To certify to SEP 50001, facilities implement an energy management system that meets the ISO 50001 standard requirements and demonstrate improved energy performance; an independent third party conducts a certification audit to verify achievements. Entities that exceed certification requirements can use the SEP 50001 Scorecard to qualify for SEP 50001 Silver, Gold, or Platinum.
Government and organizations should use the latest program version, SEP 50001 (2019).
Definition 1
Certification to the U.S. SEP 50001 program is defined by the following standards and normative references:
- ISO 50001 Energy management systems; specifies requirements for an EnMS.
- ANSI/MSE 50028-1: Additional Requirements for Energy Management Systems; specifies SEP 50001 requirements beyond those of the ISO 50001, such as additional EnMS requirements
- ANSI/MSE 50028-2: Accreditation requirements for verification bodies
- SEP 50001 program normative references, or nationally adopted equivalent normative references:
- SEP 50001 Program Certification Protocol, describes purpose of program, required energy performance improvement criteria, and certification steps
- SEP 50001 Program Measurement and Verification Protocol, provides the methodology auditors use to verify energy performance improvement
Access the SEP 50001 (2019) program documents listed above. Verification of conformance to the applicable standards and normative reference as below in Definition 2.
Entities that exceed certification requirements can qualify for SEP 50001 Silver, Gold, or Platinum by using the SEP 50001 Scorecard, which defines credits for best energy management practices and advanced technology practices above and beyond the core ISO 50001 and SEP 50001 requirements. Review and confirmation of this is conducted by top management in the organization and a 50001 Certified Practitioner in Energy Management Systems (50001 CP EnMS) who has also completed the SEP 50001 Specialist Training for 2019; this review and confirmation is not part of the certification audit.
Definition 2
Equivalency to U.S. SEP 50001 program certification is defined by the following requirements:
- Conformance to the following standards and normative references (see Definition 1 above):
- ISO 50001 or nationally adopted standard
- ANSI/MSE 50028-1 and ANSI/MSE 50028-2 standards or nationally adopted equivalent standards
- SEP 50001 normative references, or nationally adopted equivalent normative references
- SEP 50001 Program Measurement and Verification Protocol
- SEP 50001 Program Certification Protocol
Access the SEP 50001 (2019) program documents listed above.
- Third-party, SEP 50001-equivalent audit must be conducted by an accredited Verification/Certification Body that follows ISO/IEC 17021-1: 2015 standard (Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems) and ANSI/MSE 50028-2 or a nationally adopted equivalent standard:
- The Verification/Certification Body must use an ISO/IEC 17024 (Conformity assessment -- General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons) accredited SEP 50001 Audit Team that includes a Lead Auditor for SEP 50001 and SEP Performance Verifier (or national equivalents) to conduct the SEP 50001 certification audit, which includes verification of both energy management system (EnMS) conformance to ISO 50001 and achieved energy performance improvement.
- NOTE: The Energy Professionals International (EPI) ISO 50001 Lead Auditor certification is a prerequisite for Lead Auditor for SEP 50001.
- The 50001 CP EnMS certification is a prerequisite for SEP Performance Verifier.
- The Verification/Certification Body must use an ISO/IEC 17024 (Conformity assessment -- General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons) accredited SEP 50001 Audit Team that includes a Lead Auditor for SEP 50001 and SEP Performance Verifier (or national equivalents) to conduct the SEP 50001 certification audit, which includes verification of both energy management system (EnMS) conformance to ISO 50001 and achieved energy performance improvement.
- Energy performance improvement verification is:
- Based on the SEP 50001 Program Measurement and Verification Protocol (or nationally adopted equivalent protocol); the Measurement and Verification Protocol follows principles of ISO 50047 (Energy savings -- Determination of energy savings in organizations)
- Evaluated by an SEP Performance Verifier as part of a Verification/Certification Body that meets the requirements of ANSI/MSE 50028-2 or nationally-adopted, equivalent standard