University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork
IN-10: Energy System Certification

In November 2011, UCC became the first third level institution worldwide to achieve the ISO 50001 standard. UCC was also the first public sector body in Ireland to be certified to ISO 50001.

The University is committed to responsible energy management as part of our overall environmental strategy and has a long track record in energy management, assisted with grant and technical support from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support energy saving initiatives. We recognise that our activities impact upon the environment and we are particularly mindful of our environmental responsibilities in local, national and global terms.

The main principals of our Energy Management Systems are detailed below.

University Management Commitment
In adopting the standard, UCC demonstrates its commitment to energy management and conservation. The President of UCC is committed to ensuring that UCC stands out as a College that demonstrates the efficient use of energy to minimise its impact on the environment and can be used as a benchmark for Universities across the globe. The President has approved the energy policy (UCC Energy Policy) for the College and has appointed the Director of Buildings & Estates, Mark Poland, as the management representative, to be responsible for ensuring compliance with this standard and that the standard is subjected to continuous improvement. Mark has the authority and responsibility for:

Ensuring the EnMS is established, implemented, maintained and undergoes continuous improvement in compliance with the standard.
Allocating responsibility for energy management activities to the Energy & Utilities Manager.
Reporting back to the University Management Team (UMT) meetings on energy performance and adherence to the EnMS.
Ensuring that the energy measures are in line with UCC’s energy policy, promoting the awareness of the energy policy and objectives throughout the College and ensuring that the operation of the EnMS is appropriate and effective.
Ensuring the energy management approach supports the UCC Energy Policy
Energy Planning/Reviews

Annual reviews are carried out to identify the significant energy users (SEU’s) across UCC as well as the variables and people that can significantly impact them. To determine the SEU’s the following process is applied:

Review past and present energy performance.
Identify the SEU’s, the equipment, facilities, variables and people that can impact them.
Agree energy performance indicators (EnPI’s) for the SEU’s.
Identify any energy saving opportunities, prioritise and develop a plan to implement the changes.
Determine method to validate energy saving measures.
Our latest approved 20/21 Energy Performance