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Energy Management

Des Moines Water Works has taken a pro-active step in good stewardship of energy and ratepayer dollars by implementing a comprehensive energy conservation and management system. Energy costs are a significant portion of the utility’s operational budget, so focusing on developing and implementing an energy management system is a crucial step in this stewardship.

Des Moines Water Works’ program began in June 2014, with the signing of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office to pursue Superior Energy Performance® (SEP™) certification. Superior Energy Performance certification recognizes facilities that have certified ISO 50001 energy management systems performing at the highest levels. To achieve this certification, an organization must successfully complete a third-party verification of the performance improvement claimed.

A requirement for SEP is to first be certified to ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management. The ISO 50001 Energy Management System (EnMS) standard is a globally accepted framework for managing energy, providing technical and management strategies for enterprises to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the environment.

Following ISO 50001 protocol, an Energy Policy was developed to guide the company. An Energy Team was formed and includes personnel from all areas of the organization.

iso50001_registeredIn the fall of 2017, AWMS, Inc., a third-party certification body, conducted an ISO 50001 and Superior Energy Performance audit of Des Moines Water Works’ energy management system and subsequent improved energy performance. Des Moines Water Works is the only water utility in the world to be ISO 50001 registered and certified as to Superior Energy Performance® 50001 and recognized by the DOE at the Gold level.  Des Moines Water Works joins companies like Volvo, Cummins and 3M as energy management leaders in the U.S.

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Certified Facility markDes Moines Water Works General Office Facility has earned the Energy Star. The facility outperforms 82% of similar buildings nationwide and used 32% less energy per square foot than the national median.


In the last five years, DMWW has improved energy performance by 14.7%, saving customers over $1,150,000 and reducing CO2 emissions by 37,000 metric tons.

To submit a comment or energy saving suggestion, please email energy.idea@dmww.com.  For more information on Des Moines Water Works’ energy management system contact: Doug Oscarson, CP EnMS, at oscarson@dmww.com.

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