Red Eléctrica de España is spearheading the Perfila Project which involves the participation of the major electricity distribution companies, Endesa, Iberdrola, Unión Fenosa Distribución, EDP HC Energía, E.ON and ASEME Association, together with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. The project, which will culminate in 2015, is aimed at defining demand behaviour patterns regarding the electricity needs of households and small businesses for a more efficient management of both demand and energy resources.

The Perfila Project seeks to identify a number of electricity demand patterns or profiles of small consumers, through the analysis of a sample of these consumers who already have a smart meter with hourly metering installed.

The installation of these meters, cornerstones for the development and implementation of smartgrids for improved demand-side management, will be carried out in accordance with the National Plan for the substitution of electricity meters at the point of consumption.

An improvement in the definition of hourly profiles will enable greater precision in the purchase of energy by traders/agents in the electricity market and reduces the need for adjustment services in the operation of the system. Such profiles also help to define a more appropriate hourly allocation of the energy consumed and more reliable and efficient electricity demand forecasts.