Energy service companies: what they are and what services they provide

An Energy Service Company (ESCO), is defined in R.D. Law 6/2010 of April 9, as any natural or legal person who can provide energy services. These services must provide a series of benefits that allow optimizing quality and reducing energy costs, including the construction, installation, or transformation of works, equipment, and systems, as well as their maintenance and updating. The energy service must be delivered based on a contract that will be associated with a verifiable, measurable, or estimate-able energy savings. Therefore, the remuneration for those services is linked to achieving energy savings.

What does energy efficiency and savings consist of?

For decades, economic development has been closely related to increased energy consumption and a rise in greenhouse gas emissions. This has generated significant environmental impacts and a strong dependence on allochthonous energy sources, which are those produced far from consumption sites. renewable energies can help break this trend, contributing to sustainable development.

In this sense, energy savings consists of saving in the use of natural resources to protect the environment. This savings can be achieved by constructing bioclimatic buildings, employing efficient heating and ventilation systems, and modifying user consumption habits.

Regarding energy efficiency, it can be defined as the practice that allows reducing energy consumption through the efficient use of energy, optimizing production processes and its use. Applying this concept to lighting, it would not just be about saving light, but illuminating better while consuming less electricity.

Other related concepts

Sustainable development

It consists of meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the possibilities of future generations.

Climate change

A variation in climate conditions that can be detected through changes in weather patterns over a prolonged period, which can range from decades to millions of years.

Greenhouse gas (GHG)

A gaseous component of the atmosphere of natural and anthropogenic origin that absorbs and emits radiation at specific wavelengths of the infrared radiation spectrum emitted by the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and clouds. This property is what causes the greenhouse effect.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

A gas that is produced naturally and also as a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass, land use changes, or industrial processes. It is the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas that affects the radiative balance of the Earth.

Primary energy

It is the energy contained in natural resources such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, uranium, or renewable energy sources.

Secondary energy

Primary energy is transformed into secondary energy through purification (natural gas), refining (from crude oil into petroleum products), or conversion into electricity or heat.

Final energy

When secondary energy is supplied to final use facilities, it is called final energy, such as the electricity provided by a power outlet that is transformed into artificial light.

Cogeneration

The use of residual heat generated during electricity generation in thermoelectric plants. The heat from steam turbines or exhaust gases from gas turbines can be used for industrial purposes, heating water, or for district heating in neighborhoods and cities.

Wind energy

Kinetic energy from air currents resulting from uneven heating of the Earth's surface.

Hydroelectric energy

Energy obtained from water that moves from one point to another situated at a lower altitude. In this way, it can be converted into mechanical energy through a turbine or other device that in turn operates a generator that produces electricity.

Solar energy

Energy obtained by capturing light or heat from the sun, which is transformed into chemical energy through photosynthesis or into electricity via photovoltaic panels.

Heat exchanger

A device for transferring heat between two media without mixing hot and cold fluids, such as radiators, boilers, condensers, or exchangers used in double-flow ventilation systems.