Rising electricity prices, the development of artificial intelligence and the growing number of data centres mean that the way in which energy consumption is managed is becoming one of the key factors in a company’s competitiveness. This is also confirmed by the update to the National Energy and Climate Plan (KPEiK) adopted by the Council of Ministers in June, which sets out the direction for the transformation of the Polish energy sector – it heralds greater system flexibility, the development of energy storage facilities, grid modernisation and the growing importance of smart energy management. In practice, buildings are set to become active participants in the energy system.
This shift in the way we think about energy is reflected not only in local regulations but also in EU legislation. The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) stipulates that companies whose average annual energy consumption has exceeded 85 TJ over the last three years will be required to implement an energy management system by 11 October 2027. Work is currently underway in Poland on regulations to implement these requirements. Although the obligation will primarily apply to the most energy-intensive industrial plants, experts point out that this is only the beginning of a broader trend.
– Today we are talking about a threshold of 85 terajoules, but we can expect this to be lowered over time. Regulations of this kind usually come to cover an ever-wider group of businesses. That is why it is worth preparing in advance, rather than waiting until the last minute – says Grzegorz Pióro, Technical Development Manager at SPIE Building Solutions.
The most commonly chosen method of meeting these requirements is to implement an energy management system compliant with the ISO 50001 standard. Unlike many other management standards, it does not focus on documentation or the organisation of processes. It is a standard with a distinctly engineering-based nature, founded on measurement, analysis and decision-making based on reliable data.
This approach marks a departure from intuitively assessing the effects of modernisation. The mere belief that replacing a system should lead to savings is not enough. Every investment should be preceded by the establishment of a baseline, that is, an accurate measurement of current energy consumption, taking into account all factors influencing the result – from seasonality to changes in how the building is used. Only on this basis can the actual effects of modernisation be reliably assessed.
Modernisation is a process, not a one-off investment
An example of implementing effective methods of continuous improvement is lighting modernisation. Simply replacing traditional fluorescent tubes with LED luminaires often reduces energy consumption – frequently by around 50 per cent, although the results depend on operating conditions. In practice, however, this is only the first step towards improving energy efficiency. This is because modern LED luminaires allow for intelligent control of light intensity. In warehouses, logistics centres or production halls, many areas remain unused for most of the time. Instead of keeping the lighting at full power round the clock, presence sensors and automatic dimming to a level that ensures safety can be utilised. Full lighting power is only activated when people are actually working in a given zone.
– The key is not simply the implementation of technical solutions, but the ability to measure their performance in accordance with a standardised methodology. Only by comparing the results before and after the modernisation can we answer the question of how much energy has actually been saved, what impact the investment has had on costs, and which elements require further optimisation – emphasises Grzegorz Pióro.
This approach involves continuously monitoring results, analysing performance indicators and systematically seeking further opportunities for improvement. In line with the philosophy of continuous improvement, modernisation does not end when the investment is completed. On the contrary – it is only then that the data collection phase begins, enabling the planning of further measures to deliver additional savings.
In industrial plants, there may be dozens or even hundreds of such areas for optimisation. Therefore, the first step is to identify the most energy-intensive equipment and processes. It is precisely there that even a small percentage improvement in efficiency yields the greatest financial benefits. Only later do companies move on to less energy-intensive installations, gradually increasing the scale of the savings.
Energy management is becoming the language of business
Just a few years ago, in many companies, the energy bill was treated like any other operating cost. If prices rose, companies paid more, often without analysing the reasons for the increase in consumption or the possibilities for reducing it. Nowadays, this approach is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and the ever-increasing share of energy costs in corporate budgets means that management expect concrete indicators confirming the profitability of investments. This applies both to the modernisation of building systems and to the installation of heat pumps, energy storage systems or on-site renewable energy sources. Without properly prepared data, it is difficult to reliably calculate the payback period, estimate cost savings or demonstrate the project’s impact on reducing emissions.
Some large enterprises had already implemented ISO 50001-compliant systems even before the legal obligation came into force, treating them as a tool for streamlining energy management processes. Increasingly, business partners themselves also expect a similar level of organisational maturity from suppliers, as this facilitates collaboration based on the same standards and indicators.
– Implementing ISO 50001 is not merely a formal project. It is also an investment in developing the competencies of technical teams. The standardisation of measurement methods, the application of common procedures and the use of the same measurement and verification protocols ensure that energy efficiency becomes a repeatable process, rather than a one-off success of a specific project – notes Grzegorz Pióro.
The appropriate presentation of results is also playing an increasingly important role. Data collected from meters, BMS systems or analytics platforms can be automatically combined with information on completed modernisation projects to form the basis for investment decisions. As a result, the management receives transparent reports showing not only the level of energy savings, but also their financial value and the impact of individual modernisation projects on reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
For businesses that may be subject to new regulatory obligations, time is running out. Full implementation of an energy management system usually takes around a year, which means that companies waiting until national regulations come into force may struggle to meet the deadlines. Regardless of the legal requirements, however, the direction of change seems clear – the future of energy efficiency will be based not on declarations, but on reliable data, measurable results and systematic optimisation.
