In pursuit of less energy-intensive stations

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Our company manages numerous stations in Cantabria and one of our main concerns was to understand how to reduce energy costs. We also needed to know how to standardise the maintenance of our buildings. Sudoe Stop CO2 presented a window of opportunity for us. We are going to considerably reduce our energy bill and we have a useful tool for managing our buildings.Pedro López Camacho, Torrelavega Station Manager (member of the sustainable station network)Bus and train stations in the cities of southwestern Europe consume vast quantities of energy and emit an extremely large amount of greenhouse gases, which affects the quality of life of citizens and the image of these cities.Energy efficiency has become an ongoing objective in the management of these buildings. Generally situated in city centres, these facilities have a significant impact on citizens' lives, the image of the city and their health status.Innovation and awareness-raisingSUDOE Stop CO2 seeks to improve energy efficiency in the stations of the SUDOE region (southwestern Europe including Spain, Portugal and the southwestern quarter of France). In order to achieve this, the project follows two different approaches.On the one hand, it focuses on innovation through the "Building Information Modeling (BIM)" methodology to improve energy efficiency in the stations. This methodology is based on a sequence of work processes or methods implemented throughout the design, construction and use of a building and on the use of a digital model containing intelligent and structured data.On the other hand, the project focuses on awareness-raising. A specific tool has been created to assess the sustainability of stations. The tool provides station managers with a basic evaluation rate, enabling a comparison with other facilities as well as constituting a method of creating a network to exchange information and good practices.Intelligent technology for buildingsThe project has enabled development of the BIM methodology for energy management in stations. It has also enabled the establishment of 3D models which have made working together and proposing alternatives to improve the building’s energy behaviour possible.BIM has opened up new opportunities, such as the use of intelligent technology to manage the energy efficiency of buildings. Furthermore, the project has given rise to the creation of a Sustainable Station Network for exchanging experiences and informing the public as to the efforts deployed. Consequently, 22 bus stations have been certified "Sustainable Station Network" in Spain, 24 SNCF rail stations in France and two stations in Portugal.Total investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the SUDOE STOP CO2 project is EUR 1 173 791; the European Regional Development Fund contribution is EUR 865 555 through the Interreg V-B Southwest (SUDOE V-B) programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the "Energy and climate union" priority.