More than nine years have passed since the publication of Royal Decree 56/2016, which partially transposed Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency. Specifically, this Royal Decree incorporated regulations concerning energy audits, requiring large companies to carry them out within nine months of its publication and to repeat them every four years from the date of the previous audit, under the risk of sanctions for failing to comply with this schedule.
This obligation forced many companies to conduct energy audits, which often became mere formalities—producing reports that were simply archived without bringing any real benefit to the company. This was far from the European Parliament’s original intention when drafting the Directive.
An energy audit is a meticulous tool that helps to accurately identify the energy consumption of a facility, its operation, and the distribution of energy between processes and auxiliary installations. It highlights inefficiencies and proposes improvements to perform the same functions in a more energy-efficient and, consequently, cost-effective manner.
The issue was that, until the introduction of Energy Savings Certificates (ESCs), companies did not prioritise investments in energy efficiency, focusing instead on productive investments.
As a result, large companies faced an additional obligation and cost, while the proposed improvements lacked the quick return on investment that large businesses typically require to approve non-productive expenditures.
However, this situation has now changed dramatically. With the publication of Royal Decree 36/2023 on 24 January, which establishes a system of Energy Savings Certificates (ESCs), energy savings have been monetised—not just for large companies, but for all businesses and individuals. This represents a complete shift, making it worthwhile for companies to conduct in-depth diagnostics and identify potential energy efficiency improvements. The greater the savings identified, the greater the economic benefit, making such investments more profitable and viable.
The ESC system was launched in Spain in 2023, but its significance has gained greater attention since late 2024 and in the first quarter of 2025, with continued growth. This system connects the so-called Obligated Entity (OE), which has an annual requirement to make financial contributions to the National Energy Efficiency Fund based on the previous year’s energy sales, with companies capable of implementing energy efficiency measures. Instead of making direct contributions to the Fund, the OE can purchase energy savings at a price ranging from approximately €100 to €160 per MWh, depending on the volume of energy sold to the OE and the timing of the sale.
As a result, a new business opportunity has emerged where identifying energy savings is now a priority for companies. This enables them to undertake investments that would not have been sufficiently profitable without this support, with some initiatives even generating greater revenues than their implementation costs. The key to driving energy efficiency has been found, making energy audits more important than ever. Moreover, the more detailed and time-intensive the audit, the more opportunities there are to uncover energy-saving potential.
Companies can go further by installing monitoring systems to track energy consumption at the equipment or facility level. Taking another step forward, they can implement an Energy Management System, which engages the entire organisation, ensures continuous monitoring, and helps identify opportunities to enhance efficiency while accelerating the return on investment.
This approach improves installations, optimises processes, and contributes to the European Union’s energy-saving targets. For Spain, the objective for the 2021–2030 period is set at 53,593 ktep.
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