Save through energy

 F or some years now, there has been a growing interest in improving energy efficiency on the part of companies and public administrations. Energy efficiency is the series of actions that allows optimization of the relationship between the quantity of energy consumed and the final products and services obtained: making more from less. ACCIONA Service performs the management of these services by promoting a model based on a collaboration agreement with the client and by implementing an Integrated Energy Management System for the continuous improvement of energy efficiency

Strategic positioning 

The fact that ACCIONA Service provides non-core business services for over 2,000 clients, along with the knowledge contained in its Operations, facilities and team of professionals, allows ACCIONA to get to know at first hand the needs and opportunities for improvement of each sector and client, so that it can present a personalized, made-to-measure proposal for each company.

ACCIONA Service acts as an ESCO (Energy Services Company), carrying out full projects that involve the responsibility of analyzing opportunities, designing tailor-made solutions, demonstrating technical and economic feasibility, investing in operations, and guaranteeing savings for the client. 

Guaranteed savings shared

The possibility of saving energy costs is always well received by clients, but the investment needed to do so can put them off. ACCIONA Service offers a model that consists of assuming the initial investment and sharing the savings by amortizing the investment, covering the operational costs and incentivizing the client to assume a medium-term commitment to ACCIONA as its energy manager. The client obtains part of the savings from the start of the project and the rest is used by ACCIONA to recover the investment and make a small profit.

Environmental respect

As well as economic savings, we are successful in reducing energy consumption and CO2  emissions, with the corresponding environmental benefits. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in a 2008 study, by applying energy efficiency criteria in buildings, industrial processes, transport, supply processes and equipment, world energy demand could be reduced by a third and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% (on 2005 levels) by 2050.

Also, however, companies would obtain an increasingly important intangible benefit: the improvement of corporate image as a sustainable and environmentally respectful company. 

On top of making economic savings, we are successful in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, with the corresponding environmental benefits

SUCCESS STORIES

Monitoring as a management tool: INFANTA SOFÍA HOSPITAL IN MADRID

At ACCIONA, we place great value on the activity of energy monitoring. Our Building Control Center was a pioneer in the sector, allowing the Company to go beyond the typical activities of replacing equipment and other elements that consume energy. 

Getting to know the consumption profile of a system and characterizing the variables which influence it can allow the forecasting of future consumption as a function of certain conditions: climate, activity level, people displacement, etc. In this way, any deviation from normal consumption can be detected in real-time and corrected immediately.

This concept has been key to the success of our demand management projects, such as at the Infanta Sofía Hospital in Madrid. By managing the heat loop to avoid consumption when there is no demand along with optimization of humidifiers, reprogramming of air conditioning, etc. consolidated annual savings of 13% in electricity and 34% in natural gas have been achieved.

Audits for performing tailor-made projects: INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

In the industrial sector energy consumption can represent a high percentage of operating costs.

Using more efficient equipment and technology that consumes less energy improves production processes, recovers energy emitted by some processes, and will allow operating cost reductions in industry.

ACCIONA Service has performed the replacement of lighting with 20,000 LED technology lamps at two industrial plants, leading to an energy saving of 60%.

Elsewhere, the installation of a cogeneration plant to recover the heat from flue gases given off by several industrial processes has allowed savings in the use of natural gas and an improvement in the efficiency of the facility as a whole. ACCIONA Service has performed energy efficiency projects for a large variety of clients in all sectors: shopping malls, automotive plants, government and corporate office buildings, etc. All of them resulted in important savings. 

Energy efficiency is a tool within every company’s and organization’s reach, to improve competitiveness and be more respectful to the environment. ACCIONA, since its first pioneering days in sustainability, has developed this business line in harmony with the principles that define its business strategy, maximizing environmental commitment at the same time. 

By applying energy efficiency criteria in buildings, industrial processes, transport, supply processes and equipment, world energy demand could be reduced by a third and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.