Energy Saving Certificates: what they are and how they can benefit the food industry

Energy Saving Certificates: what they are and how they can benefit the food industry

Energy Saving Certificates are a fundamental tool for the food industry, which frequently faces high energy costs. CAEs allow not only to improve process efficiency and reduce costs, but also to bring environmental benefits linked to the company’s reputation and positioning in the market.

In an effort to promote energy efficiency and encourage sustainable practices, Energy Saving Certificates (CAE) have emerged as a crucial tool. These certificates not only offer significant environmental benefits but also present financial and business development opportunities.

In Spain, the CAE System is born with the aim of fulfilling the obligations acquired with the European Union through the Energy Efficiency Directive (Directive 27/12 on Energy Efficiency). Additionally, it is born with the spirit of facilitating investment in energy efficiency technologies by boosting a market in this sector.

Under the coordination of the General Directorate of Energy Policy and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, the CAE System is established as the issuance of an electronic document that guarantees that, after carrying out an energy efficiency action, a new final energy saving equivalent to 1 kWh has been achieved.

This instrument allows monetizing energy savings, recovering part of the cost of investments in energy efficiency (change of lighting, improvement of thermal insulation, renovation of industrial or domestic equipment, etc.), since the end-user may receive an economic compensation if they sell the savings obtained, after their certification through the CAE System.

The importance of these certificates lies in their ability to incentivize the implementation of technologies and practices that reduce energy consumption. From updating refrigeration equipment to optimizing production processes, companies can obtain certificates by demonstrating improvements in their energy efficiency.

Opportunities for the Food Industry

For food industries, which often face high energy costs due to inherent production factors in this sector, such as refrigeration or energy storage, these Energy Saving Certificates represent an opportunity to improve the efficiency of their production systems and reduce costs in the long term.

Consequently, the benefits of CAEs are multiple and cover different areas. First, companies can reduce their operating costs by reducing their energy consumption, resulting in significant long-term savings. Additionally, obtaining certificates can open up new financing opportunities for energy efficiency projects.

Finally, Energy Saving Certificates offer opportunities for innovation and business growth. By incentivizing the adoption of more efficient technologies, these certifications drive research and development in the food sector. Furthermore, by demonstrating their commitment to sustainability, companies can attract consumers who value these business strategies and strengthen their relationships with customers and business partners, improving the company’s reputation and market positioning.

This approach not only reduces the environmental footprint of the food industry but also strengthens its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding market sensitive to environmental protection.

Agents involved in the CAE system

• Obligated subjects: these are energy companies that are obliged to achieve a certain amount of energy savings per year. These companies can fulfill their obligation by paying to the National Energy Efficiency Fund or by settling CAEs.
• Delegated subjects: these are companies that can help obligated subjects to obtain CAEs, committing to settle a certain amount of CAEs on their behalf each year.
• Savings owner: originally, it is the person, natural or legal, who has carried out the investment of an energy efficiency action capable of generating savings convertible into CAEs. The ownership of the savings can be transferred to a third party in exchange for economic compensation.
• End-user: it is the person who obtains a positive impact from the energy efficiency action and usually coincides with the original owner of the savings.
• Energy savings verifier: ENAC-accredited entity that reviews and verifies that the action has been carried out, that the documentation is correct, and that the declared energy savings have been achieved.

Also part of the CAE System, representing the Administration, are the Autonomous Managers and the National Coordinator of the CAE System. Likewise, there may be intermediaries working for the rest of the agents, such as installation or engineering companies.

CAE System application mechanism

Actions carried out as of January 26, 2023, and that comply with the requirements established by the Energy Efficiency Directive and other applicable regulations, will be eligible to generate CAEs.
Only obligated subjects and delegated subjects may request the issuance of CAEs, following these steps and through the electronic platform of the CAE System:

1. Obtaining a favorable verification opinion issued by an energy savings verifier for the action or actions corresponding to the issuance request.
2. Analysis of the issuance request file by the Autonomous Manager
3. Issuance of the corresponding CAEs.
4. Registration of the issued CAEs in the National Registry by the National Coordinator.

Once registered, CAEs can then be sold, purchased, and settled against a savings obligation.

 

How can we assist you?

At artica+i, as an intermediary body of the system, we can assist our clients in a triple action that, from the point of view of technological and management consultancy, allows said end-user, usually the savings owner, to identify the CAEs that could be generated from the planned investment.

To do this, we act as follows:

1. Identifying obligated/delegated subjects interested in acquiring and economically valuing such energy savings.
2. Identifying, valuing, and calculating the energy savings generated by a specific energy action of our client, whether qualified as singular or conventional, generating an improvement in the energy efficiency of their processes.
3. Managing the energy savings generated by the investment to be carried out by our client, before the verification entities to complete the application mechanism, always in coordination with obligated/delegated subjects.

Finally, we make available to our clients the experience of our Engineering business unit in the execution of energy efficiency action measures promoted by the food industry subject to CAE.