Solar spain's 'alternative appeal'

To some people, living or holidaying in Spain is a great idea, with all that sun, sand and surf combined with a lively expat community life. For some, it's a fine way to retire. For others, it's a wonderful way to spend part of their time, even if just for a holiday...

Of course, this is not to everybody's taste. While a number do enjoy the hustle and bustle, the presence of familiar accents and the feeling of being at the heart of it all, many more will want to find somewhere quieter, without crowds and perhaps more authentic, with local culture actually getting a look-in.

The lure of ‘quiet’ Spain

Contrary to what some may believe such places do still exist on the Spanish Coast, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper noted that in the recent thinkproperty.com's Overseas Desirability Report, only nine per cent said they wanted to go to a tourist area, while the majority were happy to go for a small villa rather than a large one.

The Telegraph said such ambitions of a quiet corner on the Coast for a reasonable price were possible in locations such as the Playa Macenas development on the Almeria Coast, where apartments and three-bed villas separated from the beach by just a single road can be had for around £188,000 or £306,000 respectively. All this comes with an eco-friendly hotel, golf course and beach club nearby.

Investors in property looking at this market may make plenty of the eco-friendly aspect in a broader sense. Property website homesworldwide.co.uk has reported this week that the Spanish government has set out to make giant strides in making properties more eco-friendly.

While this sort of thing means finding ways to keep the heat in and installing rooftop wind turbines in the colder and windier UK, in Spain it means making the most of the sun that draws so many tourists, expats and investors in the first place.

Green grants available

The upshot of this is that Spain has adopted what Homes Worldwide has called "the most advanced solar legislation in the world", with plenty of grants to homeowners to fit solar panels.

In addition to this, new laws on new-build homes are obliging developers to fit better heating and cooling systems, including water heating. While insulation and wind power might seem more relevant in Scotland, these are included in the Spanish regulations too.

So for investors in Spanish property, it is not only the case that properties can be had far away from the loud and brash tourist areas of the costas. It is also true that the green market will be served increasingly well due to the new laws. The market for seclusion seekers and eco-warriors may be ones of great interest to investors.