Royal Decree 36/2023
Creates the energy savings certificate system as an alternative route for meeting annual energy saving obligations.
RD 36/2023BOEFramework
CAE system
How the energy savings certificate system works.
The CAE system lets real final-energy savings be evidenced and certified. Here is the legal framework, the actors involved and the full journey of an operation.
SCENARIOS
Legal framework
The system rests on texts published in the Spanish official gazette (BOE). Always check the version in force before deciding.
Order TED/815/2023
Sets out how the system operates: procedures, requirements and conditions applying to applications.
Ministerial orderProcedure
Catalogue of actions
The catalogue of standardised action sheets defines, for each code, the scope, the calculation method and the required documentation.
Sheets5 sectorsCalculation
NOTE
What changes compared with the previous model
Obligated parties in the energy system must meet an annual saving obligation. Before the CAE system, the usual route was a financial contribution to the National Energy Efficiency Fund.
The CAE system adds an alternative: evidencing final-energy savings achieved through real efficiency works, certified and registered. The cost stops being a pure contribution and funds concrete investment instead.
That creates a market: whoever funds the work owns the saving and can monetise it; whoever carries the obligation can buy it to discharge that obligation.
SCOPE
The market in four parts
Knowing who supplies, who buys, what is traded and who supervises makes any commercial offer far easier to read.
Supply
The owner of the saving: the individual, homeowners' association or company that funds the efficiency work and therefore generates the certifiable saving.
Demand
Obligated parties and their authorised representatives, who need evidenced savings to meet their annual obligation.
The product
The certificate. One CAE equals one kilowatt hour (kWh) of certified annual final-energy saving. Its price in euros is not set by law: the market sets it.
Oversight
Independent verification, administrative issuance, a national register, inspection and a penalty regime. No traceability, no certificate.
SCENARIOS
Two routes to evidence a saving
Every action follows one of these two routes. The choice drives the calculation, the timeline and the paperwork.
Standardised action
Based on a sheet from the official catalogue. The calculation is predefined and the required documents are known upfront, so the route is faster and more predictable. In exchange, the work must fit the sheet's scope exactly.
Catalogue sheetPredefined calculationFaster
Singular action
Used when no sheet applies. It requires a bespoke calculation methodology, with measurement and technical justification of the saving achieved. It covers complex cases, but the analysis is more demanding and takes longer.
Bespoke methodologyMeasurementComplex cases
Climate zones
Many sheets include parameters per climate zone: location and altitude shape the saving an action can evidence.
CTE DB-HEAnnex B
SCOPE
What a catalogue sheet contains
Every sheet follows the same structure. Reading it in full prevents most rejections.
Definition and code
Identifies the action and its sector (residential, tertiary, industrial, agricultural or transport).
Scope
Defines which buildings, equipment, uses or climate zones the sheet covers.
Requirements
Minimum technical conditions for the installed equipment and for the baseline situation.
Calculation method
Formula, variables and reference values that determine the saving in kWh per year.
Supporting documents
Invoices, technical datasheets, photographs, sworn statements and the required annexes.
Annexes
Templates and additional tables that accompany the sheet and form part of the file.
PROCESS
The full journey of an operation
Work carried out
The efficiency measure is executed and evidence is collected from day one.
Saving calculated
The relevant sheet or a singular methodology is applied, using traceable data.
Independent verification
An accredited verification body reviews the file and issues its opinion.
Application and issuance
An authorised applicant files with the competent regional manager, who issues the certificates.
Registration
Issued certificates are recorded in the national register, which guarantees they are unique.
Transaction
The owner of the saving can transfer the certificates to an obligated party or its authorised representative under agreed terms.
Settlement and control
The obligated party settles its annual obligation. Inspection, control and penalties remain in force.
SCENARIOS
Who is who
No actor can replace another. Knowing who decides what prevents unrealistic expectations.
National coordinator
Part of the competent ministry. It coordinates the system, keeps the national register and oversees how it runs.
MITECONational register
Regional manager
The autonomous community body that processes applications and issues the energy savings certificates.
Autonomous communityIssuance
Verification body
An accredited independent body that checks the declared saving and the consistency of the evidence.
AccreditationOpinion
Obligated party
A supplier or operator with an annual saving obligation that buys certificates to meet it.
Annual obligationDemand
Authorised representative
An authorised entity acting on behalf of obligated parties to acquire and manage certificates.
DelegationDemand
Owner of the saving
The individual, homeowners' association or company that funds the work and holds the resulting saving.
OwnershipSupply
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the system
01What exactly does one CAE represent?
One CAE equals one kilowatt hour (kWh) of annual final-energy saving, evidenced under the regulation and registered.
02Who issues the certificates?
The competent regional manager, after an accredited verification body's opinion and at the request of an authorised party.
03What is a CAE worth?
No price is set by regulation. The value is agreed between the parties and depends on the market, the volume and the terms of each operation.
04Can CAE be combined with other public grants?
Compatibility depends on each grant's own rules and on the regulation in force at the time. It must be checked case by case.
05Does the work have to be finished?
The system certifies savings from works that have been carried out and evidenced. Dates and proof are decisive, so the file is best prepared before the work starts.
NOTE
Important notice
This page is an explanatory overview of how the CAE system works. It does not replace the regulation published in the BOE or the official sheets in force, which are the only valid reference.
The system and its catalogue are updated regularly. Submitting an action does not guarantee eligibility, validation or monetisation: the outcome depends on the requirements in force, the quality of the evidence and the decision of the competent bodies.
NEXT STEP
Submit a projectHave an action to assess?
We review the technical, documentary and timing fit before anything is committed.