RD 56/2016: the second cycle of mandatory energy audits will begin in 2024
Royal Decree 56/2016, published in February of the same year, establishes that all companies not considered SMEs are obliged to carry out an energy audit every four years from the date of the previous energy audit. The regulation applies to companies with more than 250 employees or with a turnover of more than EUR 50 million and a balance sheet total of more than EUR 43 million, regardless of the number of employees. The audit must cover a minimum of 85% of the total energy consumption of the company's installations located in the national territory.
Eight years after the publication of the law, 2024 marks the second cycle of audits for all organisations that must comply with this requirement.
Beyond the legal obligation and the penalties associated with non-compliance, the ultimate purpose of energy audits is to be a tool that allows organisations to achieve, among others, the following objectives:
- To know their situation with regard to energy use, including optimisation through fuel switching.
- To detect the actions or measures that can be applied to processes to contribute to the saving and efficiency of the energy consumed (the so-called MAE's).
- Establish procedures for the optimisation of the energy demand of the installations.
These objectives result in two actions from which organisations can benefit:
1. Implement an energy management system that helps them to control the energy uses derived from their processes, detect saving measures and manage them.
2. Establish a strategy to make these energy saving measures profitable through the so-called Energy Saving Certificates (CAE's).
In the event that the company applies an energy or environmental management system that includes an energy audit carried out according to the guidelines indicated in the Royal Decree, compliance with the obligation will be considered justified.
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