Energy efficiency goes through the renovation of homes
The approval of the new Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition changes the current paradigm of the concept of energy efficiency and sustainability. With the approval of this law, an attempt is made to bring the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) closer together by the government by meeting the following objectives for the year 2030:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Spanish economy as a whole by 2030 by at least 23% compared to 1990.
- Achieve a penetration of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption of at least 42%.
- Reach an electrical system with at least 74% generation from renewable energy sources.
- Improve energy efficiency by reducing primary energy consumption by at least 39.5%, with respect to the baseline in accordance with community regulations.
In addition, it establishes that Spain must reach climate neutrality before 2050.
For all this, the government will make various changes that will allow it to get closer to the objectives it sets. The first change will be the creation of a Committee of Experts on climate change and energy transition, which will be responsible for evaluating and making recommendations on energy efficiency and climate change policies and measures, issuing, annually, their respective reports to government training .
The second change proposed by the government is the granting of aid for the rehabilitation of homes of up to 100%. This is the so-called Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for the Spanish Economy, which will grant aid of between 35% and 100% of the cost of building improvement works. The aid will be supported by some 5,800 million that will be allocated to different rehabilitation programs and with a focus on energy efficiency, 70% of the aid will be allocated to housing, leaving the remaining 30% for the improvement of public buildings. In the case of buildings (normally owners’ associations), the subsidies will range from 35% to 70% depending on the cost of the work and the energy savings it entails. Focusing on energy saving, the minimum to grant these subsidies will be 30%.
On the other hand, the government within these grants raises the possibility of certain regeneration projects for entire neighborhoods. In these cases, the subsidies will support between 70% and 100% of the total cost of the work.
In addition to direct aid, the recovery of tax deductions for rehabilitation is also being studied. These would be 30% if the work achieves a certain energy saving and would reach 60% if the work improves the energy rating of the home (according to the current seven-letter scale).
