As defined in law no. 121/2014, regarding energy efficiency, the Energy Manager is: "natural or legal person providing energy services certified under the law, whose object of activity is the organization, management and management of energy processes of a consumer."

According to the second edition of the study "Energy efficiency in Romanian companies", conducted by EnergyPal with the support of Valoria, in Romania, in 2018, 38% of respondent companies said they have a responsible person within the company that deals with the plan energy efficiency (energy manager), while in 2019 the percentage increases to 45%. The fewest companies with such a role are in transport (18%), followed by industrial production (20%) and food / agriculture (23%).

The comparative data between the results of the 2019 and 2018 editions show timid evolutions on some levels, but also some braver evolutions on others.

Unfortunately, in the analysis by industry, we notice that most responding companies in construction / real estate (54%) did not train employees on how to conserve energy, as opposed to 60% of industrial production companies and 61 % of shipments.

Energy Manager activity

The activity of Energy Managers for industry aims to reduce the energy intensity and respectively the value of the energy bill of the beneficiaries through the following actions:

• Preparation of energy balances and preparation of the declaration of total energy consumption

• Centralization and processing of information in the metering and monitoring system

• Preparation of the specifications for conducting the energy audit and receiving the energy audit paper

• Proposing, implementing and monitoring the progress of the energy efficiency program

• Providing advice on the application of the legislation and regulations in force on energy efficiency as well as performing energy analyzes necessary for the activity of the beneficiary

The role of the Energy Manager

The role of the Energy Manager within an economic agent, important consumer, is to organize energy management, to observe energy processes, consumption carried out to support energy efficiency measures exposed in energy audits and to move forward with new proposals to management to be implemented. I can say from experience that such a role is not easy, in general such a person can be said that it is "uncomfortable". I say this because imagine a person who always asks for something and has a relatively new position in an organization chart or supplier. By new I mean the much more active role played by the energy manager after 2014, supported by the legal framework given by the energy efficiency law. However, being such a person, I realize that such an energy manager is on the right track, as he targets that proposed energy efficiency.

The energy manager in all this role is not alone and could not implement efficiency measures without being part, without being supported by the entire team within the organization. Here we also mention the role of energy auditors who propose efficiency measures in energy audits performed on "vertical", the task of performing, monitoring and integrating them on "horizontal" falling into the energy manager responsabilities.

The EnergyPal study also reveals that the percentage of responding companies that say they have conducted an energy audit of buildings is 51% in 2019, up 9 percentage points from last year. Most companies that have performed an energy audit of buildings are those in industrial production (69%).

The Energy Manager must be in the middle of the energy processes or the place of consumption. He must "feel" and have the ability to "problem" with non-productive consumption. How? Through many input data that are processed, analyzed and after which it can make decisions. Use measurement and monitoring equipment to make the best decisions. Decisions can be non-cost or cost and then they must be well argued. Why energy manager? An energy manager with skills and experience "sees" the optimization of consumption, energy management where others do not see.

In conclusion

Each of us is an energy manager, conscious or not, both within an organization and outside it through our way of managing activities, resources, so energy in the most optimal way. By exemplifying perhaps better: by organizing ourselves better with our resources in small, personal activities we will be able to be in the big ones at company level.

Energypal has this goal continuously - together for durable and sustainable development.

Author: Marius Pravalici, Manager Energetic EnergyPal-TimePal Romania