ENGIE Energy Services, an AVEBIOM partner company, has published the guide “"CAE in industry. How to achieve energy efficiency and cost savings with CAE?"”, a document aimed at helping industries understand how Energy Saving Certificates work and their practical application in efficiency projects.
Energy Saving Certificates, regulated in Spain by the Royal Decree 36/2023, These certificates allow for the verification of final energy savings achieved after implementing an energy efficiency measure. Each Energy Efficiency Certificate (CAE) is equivalent to 1 kWh of annual savings and can be monetized, making energy efficiency improvements an additional tool for reducing costs and facilitating new investments.
ENGIE's guide explains, in a straightforward manner, what CAE (Construction Energy Efficiency) costs are, which industrial projects can generate them, which actions fall outside the system, and what preliminary processes should be prepared to facilitate their subsequent management. Among the projects likely to generate CAE, the document mentions actions related to insulation and thermal needs, industrial refrigeration, compressed air, equipment, heat exchange and recovery, and lighting.
The document explains the importance of proper document traceability from the start of the project. Photographs, technical data sheets, consumption records, invoices, measurements, digital documentation, and energy efficiency certificates can be crucial for later validating the savings achieved and converting them into Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs).
As a practical example, ENGIE includes the case of RDM Paprinsa, paper industry located in Mollerussa, where the implementation of a heat recovery system made it possible to reduce fuel consumption by around 12% and obtain Energy Saving Certificates validated by EQA.
Energy efficiency assessments (EAAs) can contribute to improving the economic viability of energy efficiency actions, especially in industry, where reducing energy consumption has a direct impact on operating costs, competitiveness, and the decarbonization of production processes.
ENGIE acts as an accredited Delegated Entity within the CAE system and offers comprehensive process management, from calculation and generation of supporting documentation to certification, verification, and processing with the relevant authorities. It supports its clients "from identifying opportunities to verifying and accrediting the energy savings achieved.".