Chapter

Heat, damp and energy in a Spanish home

§ 1Comfort is a purchase decision

A pretty house that you cannot heat in January or cool in August is an expensive house. The energy certificate gives a letter, but comfort and running costs depend on the roof, the walls, the windows, the ventilation, the heating and the orientation. This chapter belongs to the section on the chapter on location checks, and it explains what to check and which official rules apply. It does not give running costs, because we found no official average that we could cite.

§ 2Damp

Moisture is the most common complaint in older homes and in ground floors. Damp and mould explains the three sources the technical building code names, rain and run-off, the ground and condensation, and how to spot them on a viewing. It also explains the ventilation rule and what to ask a surveyor to test.

§ 3Heating

Heating explains the heating options found in Spanish homes and the questions to ask: what system, how old, who maintains it, what the bills were. It stays general because we found no official data on costs, and it points to the energy agency’s technical guides.

§ 4Solar panels

Solar panels explains the self-consumption rules: the simplified compensation of surplus for installations up to one hundred kilowatts, the municipal works licence and the position of a flat in a community. It uses the energy agency’s answers and says which items need local confirmation.

§ 5Subsidies and tax breaks

Solar subsidies and tax breaks explains the regional incentive programmes, the municipal bonuses on local taxes that the agency says could reach up to ninety-five per cent and the temporary income tax deductions for energy-efficiency works. We could not read the percentages and the conditions of those deductions, so the page says what we know and what to check, including whether non-residents can use them.

§ 6Insulation

Insulation explains how the code treats existing buildings, when upgrades are required and which improvements are typically considered: roof, walls, windows. It cannot say what any upgrade will save, because that depends on the home.

§ 7How to test a home

Visit on a cold wet day and on a hot afternoon if you can. Smell the rooms, look at the corners of ceilings, open the windows and the cupboards, check the meter and the bills, and ask neighbours. Ask the seller for the energy certificate, which is required when a home is sold or let, as the section on owning and selling explains.

§ 8Work and permits

Most improvements need a works licence or a prior notice to the town hall, and in a block, the community may need to agree. Ask before you plan.

§ 9Related chapters

The chapter on the rules on natural risks covers flood and fire.

The chapter on more on rural services covers wells and septic tanks, and more on daily life covers healthcare, schools and noise.

§ 10Orientation, shade and the roof

Look at which way the main rooms face, how much shade the home has, what colour the roof is and whether shutters or awnings exist. A south-facing room with large windows and no shade can be hard to live in during summer, and a north-facing ground floor can be damp and cold. These are visible facts, and no certificate summarises them. Take photographs at different hours.

§ 11Windows and air leaks

Single glazing, warped frames and open shutter boxes let heat in and out. Hold your hand near the frames on a windy day, and check the seals. Replacing windows is a common upgrade, and in a block it may need community consent for the facade. Ask for quotes and the lead time before you set a budget.

§ 12Ask for the bills

The best evidence of comfort is a year of electricity, gas and water bills, matched to how the home was used. A home used only in summer shows nothing about winter. Ask neighbours with a similar home what they pay.

§ 13Seasonal use

A home used only in summer needs shade, cross ventilation and a way to keep the heat out, while a home used all year needs heating, dry walls and insulation that works in winter. Say which you are, and judge the home against that, not against the brochure. Ask the seller how the home is used in each season and what the owner would change.

General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your own situation with a qualified adviser.