Red Eléctrica de España consolidated its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency as one of its strategic priorities launching, in 2012, more than ten projects to promote a more sustainable and efficient energy consumption. On World Energy Efficiency Day, taking place tomorrow, the Company highlights that five years ago it created the brand Red Eléctrica Eficiente for the development of projects and initiatives aimed at more efficient consumption of electricity and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Under the slogan "Use Energy Wisely", the brand is built around a working team that is responsible for identifying all the initiatives of the various areas of the Company aimed at reducing electricity consumption and CO2 emissions.

In Spain, Red Eléctrica manages more than 42,000 kilometres of high-voltage grid and is responsible for the operation of the national electricity system, guaranteeing the security and quality of electricity supply. The Company is world leader in the integration of renewable energy into the electricity system, being prominently present in the major global sustainability indexes. Thus, as the transmission agent and operator of the electricity system, the Company has a very important role in the development of a more sustainable energy model and in achieving the European 20/20/20 objectives.

The Company approved its Climate Change Strategy in 2011, which laid down the main lines of work in this field, amongst which is the clear commitment to energy efficiency at all levels.

More than ten efficiency and sustainability initiatives in 2012
With the objective of moving towards a more sustainable model, in 2012, Red Eléctrica launched a series of internal projects ranging from awareness of the people linked to the Company, with the campaign "10 +1 Efficient practices or an advisory guide on how to use energy responsibly in daily life", to the implementation of specific measures for energy efficiency and resource savings in their work centres.

In this regard, a document has been created regarding the criteria for energy efficiency in maintenance buildings that was applied in 2012 to the new buildings of Casaquemada in Sanlúcar la Mayor (Sevilla) and Ribadavia (Orense) and which have obtained the maximum energy rating based on its construction.

Regarding the use of energy in Red Eléctrica's facilities, energy audits have been conducted in 14 work centres and an energy management system has been implemented in the head office, in accordance with UNE-EN ISO 50001, which affects lighting systems and electricity consumption metering equipment. This management system made it possible to save 2% of the energy consumption forecasted for 2012, which equates to about 34.4 tonnes of CO2 not emitted.

In connection with these measures, an energy efficiency system for buildings has also been developed with the installation of monitoring equipment that provides real-time information regarding electricity and water consumption and its CO2 emissions in the different Red Eléctrica offices. This equipment centralises information at the head office of the Company and enables comparative analysis by time period, as well as the decision making process when applying corrective measures for the reduction of consumption.

In addition, the EFEN project regarding the management and technological renovation of all Red Eléctrica's office computer systems has been launched, which has already been applied to more than 80% of all the systems and has affected more than 2,000 pieces of IT equipment. With this programme, a reduction of around 20% in the electricity consumption associated to the use of this equipment has been achieved; a reduction that will increase until the completion of the project.

Other savings initiatives carried out by Red Eléctrica are those that affect the consumption of water and paper. The ADIR project (Archivo de Documentación de Instalaciones de Red - Archive of Documentation of Grid Facilities) is an IT document management system regarding technical and administrative proceedings data of the facilities of the Company. Currently more than two million files are managed and can be consulted without the need to use paper.

Responsibility towards society
In addition to the measures adopted as an energy consumer, Red Eléctrica, owing to its key role in the electricity system, carries out other information dissemination projects aimed at raising public awareness on the efficient use of energy. ?The electricity highway behind the wall socket. Electricity from the power station to your home? is the traveling exhibition designed by Red Eléctrica to interactively show how the electricity system works and how electricity can be consumed responsibly.

Moreover, Red Eléctrica has the responsibility towards society to provide a quality service through the efficient management of the electricity system operation and the sustainable development of the transmission grid. In this regard, it is committed to promoting the implementation of solutions aimed at the integration of renewable energy and driving demand management initiatives to achieve a greater efficiency of the electricity system.

In line with the research and development of new technologies, Red Eléctrica has coordinated the European TWENTIES project for the development of new technologies applied to the transmission grid that allow the integration of wind power to be maximised. It also participates in the GO 15 Association (Very Large Power Grid Operators Association), where experiences are shared on matters related to the sustainability of the electricity system, and on different initiatives and projects regarding the implementation of the electric vehicle.