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How to drive energy improvement
28/8/2026
8 min read
Feature
Demonstrating verifiable energy performance improvement is more complex than simply comparing energy use or costs. Using the everyday example of a commuting journey in a petrol-powered car, Alireza Mokhtar, Energy and Carbon Consultant at Pathway2050, New Zealand, and UK-based ISO 50001 practitioner John Mulholland FEI, Director of Mulholland Energy, explain how data, baselines and energy performance indicators turn improvement into a measurable process.
Performance improvement sits at the heart of energy management, with organisations motivated by goals such as reduced costs, fewer emissions, strengthened energy security and enhanced reputation. Regardless of motivation, however, they need to demonstrate tangible improvements in energy performance over time or establish a clear plan for achieving them.
Success hinges on robust data, yet many of the technical concepts used in ISO 50001 often seem abstract when discussed in relation to factories, systems or equipment. In the following worked example, the familiar activity of driving a car is used to give a practical example of how energy performance can be measured and improved in practice.
Dealing with the data
Imagine you own a Toyota Yaris petrol-powered hatchback and drive it from home to work five days a week. The departure and arrival locations are fixed so each journey delivers the same outcome. However, the route may vary due to traffic, road closures or other factors.
The goal is to improve the energy performance of this process. In other words, fuel and cost reductions without compromising the outcome. Let us assume that you set an annual fuel-cost saving target.
Measurement is key. The first step is to record the mileage and fuel consumption for each journey over at least one month and ideally for several months to improve the accuracy of your energy review.
Table 1 below summarises the monthly data collected over one year.