More than half of Spain’s population remains unaware of available public aid that can finance parts of home energy rehabilitation, including around 7,000 million euros from European funds.
Data from the Consumers and Users Confederation (CECU) show that 61% of citizens do not know they can request funds to rehabilitate their flat, enabling greater energy efficiency and cost savings.
There is a 6.85 billion euro Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funded by European Next Generation funds, though awareness has not been effectively communicated, notes Paz Serra of the CECU projects team.
Serra emphasizes that Spain faces an aging housing stock and aging population alike. Efforts should be directed toward making information on housing rehabilitation assistance accessible and understandable to older people.
advance money
Another obstacle is that information often requires higher upfront investment, which can deter consumers with limited resources from acting on it.
Serra highlights Extremadura’s initiative to create a system of public guarantees to advance the initial investment for vulnerable households.
With low awareness, aid often does not reach families who would otherwise modernize or improve accessibility, as many still do not prioritize energy efficiency.
The European Union states that by 2030 all homes should carry an energy rating of at least E, meaning energy consumption does not exceed 110% of the national average, with a transition toward D within three more years.
There are funds to double the number of rehabilitated homes
According to Andimac, 82% of Spanish homes currently have an E rating or worse.
This situation stems in part from the fact that most residential buildings were constructed before the first thermal regulation was enacted in 1980, according to the Supreme Council of Spanish Architects Colleges (CSCAE).
Estimates indicate around 5.5 million residential buildings and about 9.7 million primary residences predate that regulation.
CSCAE data show only 25,554 homes rehabilitated in 2019, rising to 34,525 in 2022, a 34% increase but still far from the 300,000–350,000 homes needed annually to decarbonize the sector by 2050, in line with Spain’s Paris Agreement commitments. The pandemic period saw a surge in reforms as people spent more time at home, before a drop to 1.4% in 2022 and a predicted 3% in 2023.
In any case, these figures remain far from the target pace required to overhaul the housing stock.
The EU aims for an energy rating of E by 2030 for all homes, with ongoing steps to improve energy performance thereafter. European funds for energy rehabilitation are expected to enable more than half a million interventions by 2026, averaging about 71,000 homes per year, which would be more than double the current rate.
Sources of access to public aid
Access to these European aids requires an energy efficiency certificate issued by an architect before starting rehabilitation and a new certificate after completion to demonstrate energy improvements.
These resources target habitual residences, whether owner-occupied or rented, and cover measures such as window replacement, improved insulation for heating, and renewable energy supply and self-consumption facilities.
For neighborhood communities, aid is available for structural repairs, thermal insulation, elevator installation or repairs, and humidity control, including financing for project preparation and administration of the aid.
The College of Architects notes that energy renovation works enjoy a 10% tax discount and various other tax benefits; direct aid need not be declared.
Proposed tax cuts include a 20% deduction on payments for heating and cooling improvements, with potential enhancements for energy-saving studies. In some cases, a 40% deduction (up to €3,000) is available if energy consumption is reduced by at least 30% or the energy certificate improves to class A or B.
Renovations in owner-occupied buildings may qualify for a 60% deduction (up to €9,000) when achieving similar energy savings as the 40% rate. Deductions require payments by card, transfer, check, or institutional account, never cash, and are subject to applicable regulations.
All of these incentives form part of a broader strategy to decarbonize housing while making energy improvements financially accessible to households across Spain, as reported by national and professional bodies.