Madrid focuses its efforts on making housing efficient, sustainable, and habitable
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Loading... - Tayer Brown
- 08 Feb 2022
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Madrid City Council, through the Delegate Housing Department, has decided to make a clear commitment to restoration; to transform and improve the residential fabric of the Spanish capital. In short, to make the city's buildings more energy efficient, more comfortable, more habitable, and healthier for the residents who live in them. In this, there is a lot of work to be done. For this reason, the Delegate Housing Area currently has three offices, three nerve centres with different functions and objectives to channel all the information and all the aid available in the refurbishment of the city.
In the city of Madrid 11% of the buildings were built before 1940 and another 58% were built between 1940 and 1980. This means that some 69% of the buildings in the city are more than 40 years old. Moreover, the buildings that achieve the best energy rating, the letter A, make up less than 0.3% of the total building stock. So there is still a long way to go. In addition, more than 75% of residential buildings are not considered "accessible" (ie. for those with limited mobility) and, of the total number of buildings with four floors or more, around 40% do not have a lift.
1. The 'Green Office'
2. Adapta and Rehabilita Plans
3. EMVS reinforcement office
The 'Green Office'
The first of the Delegate Housing Area's centres is the new Green Office, which was officially inaugurated on Tuesday 21 December by Álvaro González, a delegate of the Housing Area. Located in Calle Bustamante on the corner of Calle Villa del Prado, it was created as a meeting point and reference point on energy and sustainability for both residents and professionals in the building sector: refurbishment companies, manufacturers, energy service companies, property administrators, professional associations, etc.
Initially set up with four employees, it will be an important showcase for information on all the public aid for refurbishment and regeneration already granted by the Madrid City Council and those that will now be channelled with the arrival of European funds. In short, "the Green Office was created with the aim and the hope that the citizens of Madrid will make a more rational use of the energy they consume in their homes, thus helping to protect the environment and make Madrid a more sustainable city", explains Álvaro González. The Green Office will report to the Empresa Municipal de la Vivienda y Suelo (EMVS).
The aim of the office is to raise awareness of the benefits of proper energy refurbishment. A refurbished house reduces its tenant's electricity bill by 25-30%. It also pollutes less. By reducing energy consumption for air conditioning, both in summer and winter, it reduces the emission of greenhouse gases (and now we must remember that the housing stock consumes 30% of the total energy consumed in our country). An energetically refurbished house is also more comfortable to live in and increases its value when rented or sold. A study by the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE) points out that renovating your home represents a 26% increase in its price. Read More…
