On 1st August ’22 the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a new royal decree-law setting out at Title V a “Shock Plan” for energy saving and management in air conditioning to rapidly reduce energy consumption in administrative, commercial and public buildings, as defined in the Reglamento de Instalaciones Térmicas en los Edificios (RITE).
The instrument will have to be complied with by all administrations, both the general State administration and the regional and local ones, as well as the private sector: shops, department stores, cinemas, theaters, stations, airports, hotels and distribution centers. However, the president of the Community of Madrid has said it would not be applied in Madrid.
The third vice president, Teresa Ribera, explained that these measures may be relaxed in the event of waves of extreme temperatures and in duly justified cases.
The new instrument is here, scroll to Title V.
A description is found here.
The Spanish Government is also preparing a Contingency Plan, which will include energy saving measures and solidarity actions with the rest of the EU, which will be presented at the end of September.
The new instrument temporarily increases the obligations for management of the real estate of public buildings; commercial establishments, such as department stores or shopping malls; cultural spaces, such as cinemas or congress centers; and infrastructure intended for the transport of people, such as stations and airports. More details:
• These structures will have heating and cooling temperatures limited to 19 and 27 degrees Celsius respectively; building managers will have seven days from the publication of the rule to make the limitation effective, which will be in force until October 1, 2023.
• Building managers must display on posters or screens the mandatory saving measures, and other additional ones, that reduce consumption. They will have seven days to comply and this requirement will be effective until October 1, 2023.
• Before September 30, buildings must have automatic closing mechanisms on access doors to prevent them from being permanently open.
• The lighting of the shop windows will have to be turned off from 10:00 p.m. This provision will also apply to public buildings that are unoccupied at the time. Seven days is given for compliance and the measures will last until October 1, 2023.
• Those properties that have passed the energy efficiency inspection prior to January 1, 2021 must undergo an emergency review before December 31, 2022, so that all buildings with relevant boilers and air conditioning consumption have passed an inspection in the last two years.
We will add this document to Spanish systems, at their next update.
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