By Luis Gutiérrez, academic and researcher at the Center for Energy Transition (CENTRA) of the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences UAI, and SERC Chile.

Every March 5th, we celebrate World Energy Efficiency Day, an occasion to reflect on the rational and efficient use of energy, and the necessary transition toward energy systems with high participation of renewable energies, with an emphasis on non-conventional ones (NCRE, mainly solar and wind). In this regard, development in Chile has been notable, moving from having practically no sources of this type a decade ago to a current representation of 44% in the national power generation matrix, where generation from NCRE was 43% in January 2024, marking a record of 94% renewable during one hour (including hydro).

This trend is promising; however, energy efficiency seems to receive less attention. It is somewhat strange considering that this measure, besides helping to reduce pollutant emissions, can also generate significant savings for different types of consumers: industrial, commercial, and residential.

Since 2021, Chile has had an Energy Efficiency Law (Law 21305) in order to articulate efforts that allow us to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, where it is expected that 35% of greenhouse gas reductions will come from this measure. Likewise, the Law establishes that the Ministry must generate a National Energy Efficiency Plan every 5 years that will address residential energy efficiency aspects and in the productive sectors, education, and training in energy efficiency.

Regarding large energy consumers, who account for around 40% of national energy consumption, the Law establishes that those who exceed 50 TCal/year (declared as “Consumers with Energy Management Capacity” and listed by decree) must incorporate an Energy Manager to lead the implementation of an energy management system and report their consumption annually for the preparation of a public report by the Ministry.

In the residential, commercial, and public-use building sector, which constitute approximately one-quarter of national energy consumption, the Law requires labeling to inform on the energy efficiency level of new constructions, similar to the labels we know for household appliances. The Ministry expects that with this measure, new constructions will consume 30% less thermal energy by 2026 compared to 2021. Similarly, for the transport sector, which is responsible for one-third of national energy consumption, importers are required to provide this type of labeling on new vehicles, informing on their performance in kilometers per liter.

By establishing minimum standards for brands, the performance of light vehicles is expected to double by 2035 compared to 2019. Furthermore, brand importers will be able to count the equivalent performance of zero-emission vehicles up to 3 times to meet the goal, which is expected to promote electromobility.

Finally, Lord Kelvin's famous quote “what is not measured, cannot be improved” highlights the need to advance in the adoption of smart energy meters, a key tool in the energy transition that allows us to monitor and manage our consumption and is an enabler for hourly and flexible rates, among other things, thus promoting the efficient use of energy and better utilization of renewable energy.