The greening of spain
Spain's housing boom of the last two decades has been notoriously high rise and high blown. In the middle years of the noughties around 750,000 homes were being built annually – most of them constructed from high embodied energy concrete and with little regard for water conservation or energy provision from renewable sources.Times, however, they are a changing.
Legislation recently passed calls for all new homes to be built with a solar thermal (for hot water) capacity. On a recent visit to Spain’s Costa Blanca – inland and coastal – one can hardly miss the banks of solar arrays (photovoltaic for electricity generation) dotting the fields, and banks of wind turbines patrolling the hills.
Spain aspires to produce 12% of its energy from renewable sources by 2010. In 2006, according to Eurostat, the country produced 4% from renewables. Sweden leads Europe’s way with fully 15% of its total energy consumption being produced from renewables.
(Lamentably, the UK produces only 2% of its total from renewables presently. It has committed to deliver 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020. Analysts says Britain will fall well short of its target, and will do well to reach 10% by 2020.)
Indications of housebuilders in Spain meeting and even exceeding the new energy provision regulations are becoming visible. At Gran Monovar, 40 minutes inland from Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, the new homes under construction not only meet the new solar thermal legal requirements, but also are being built to reduce energy requirements.
The homes are orientated to maximise natural cooling and built to a double thickness with adobe bricks to minimise passive solar gain. Natural Rockwool insulation between the bricks ensures an ambient internal temperature without the requirement of energy hungry air-conditioning. Timber used is from sustainable forestry and has a chain of custody certification.
For a more detailed review of Gran Monovar’s environmental credentials visit independent eco homes and sustainable development portal whatgreenhome.com and specifically http://www.whatgreenhome.com/western_europe_page3.html#granmonovar
The properties are no more expensive than ‘plain vanilla’ homes on the Costa Blanca. Prices start from €95,000 for a one-bedroom top floor apartment with terrace. Three-bedroom, two-bathroom villas start from €240,000.
Nearby, Las Torrentas is a second eco-resort where development of 135 contemporary villas is expected to commence in spring 2009. Located inland in Murcia at Calasparra, Las Torrentas is being conceived as a sustainable community with onsite generation of power from renewables – geothermal and hydrostatic power from a mill in the grounds – providing around 80% of energy requirements.
The chic homes – the single storey modernist pavilion style Terazza particularly appeals – are being built with largely local and sustainable materials. Floors will be laid from locally manufactured terracotta tiling; timber is locally sourced from certified sustainable forests.
The developers are innovating with electric cars too. Two electric ‘pool’ cars will be provided for owners’ use, and three free of charge solar powered charging bays will be provided for the community cars and owners’ electric/hybrid cars.
Prices start from €278,000 for a three-bedroom house. For more information on Las Torrentas visit whatgreenhome.com and http://www.whatgreenhome.com/western_europe_page2.html#lastorrentas