There’s no denying that energy efficiency in buildings are the future. A low energy home does not only provide a much higher standard of comfort and drastically reduce the utility costs; it’s now bit by bit being implemented by law moving towards 2019, when all new buildings should be near carbon zero.
This does not mean, however, that energy efficiency should be disregarded in relation to an existing building. Major renovations are already included in the plans and it’s only a question of time before the single glass windows and lack of insulation that we’re used to seeing in Spain will be history. To help the transition into healthier, higher standard low energy living spaces national and local governments are putting into place a number of incentives.
Junta de Andalucía, the local Andalucian government, offers financial help to people wishing to renovate and replace old energy inefficient installations with new more modern, high quality and most importantly energy efficient ones. This cooperation between local government and businesses can provide up to 25% off the costs for changing windows or replace old air conditioners with a more efficient and central indoor climate installation. http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/servicios/ayudas/detalle/72577.html?menu=organismos/economiainnovacionyciencia/servicios/ayudas/
Furthermore, IDEA (Instituto para la diversificación y ahorro de energía), which is a national organisation under the Spanish ministry for industry, tourism and trade, promotes the implementation of sustainable energy sources through their programmes SOLCASA, GEOCASA and BIOMCASA. http://www.idae.es/index.php/mod.pags/mem.detalle/idpag.521/relcategoria.1160/relmenu.171
It’s clear that the times are over, when building a house just had to be cheap. There’s no longer any excuse for not implementing energy efficient installations and sustainable energy sources during a build or renovation. The changes are happening bit by bit through stick and carrot – law and incentives. Now the options just have to be made more readily available.
It’s a start that collaborating companies are listed on the government websites, but in a building or major renovation project it can be hard to juggle a long list of different suppliers, especially if the Spanish language is also a challenge. However, the options are there and the development proves that to insure the long term value of your property, energy efficiency is a must. It’s therefore in the very back bone of Eco Vida to make these choices easy and ensure you get the most efficient and comfortable home possible, using the modern and environmentally friendly techniques available.
