Repsol YPF

The Spanish air conditioning market grew by more than 20% in 2003, due to the high temperatures. Since then, the commercial and industrial segments have maintained a sustained growth of around 5%.

This is why the homes of the future are starting to consider integrating new technologies which include automation and control systems to cool the interior environment. Furthermore, the new building regulations seek to implement passive techniques for achieving reduced energy consumption and encourage the use of alternative energies. 

Why are new buildings being built with air conditioning already installed or at least pre-installed? Is it worth it? Obviously the objective is not only to increase the comfort levels of today’s home owners but also to reduce the consumption of resources required to remodel properties in the future as a result of not having considered the possibility of installing air conditioning when they are built.

Resource savings
Where residential building is concerned, an increasing number of new developments come with the pre-installation for air conditioning. It is another service that gives added value to properties. As such, in some cities such as Madrid, the regulations require the pipes to be pre-installed in new and renovated buildings. The developer can then offer the buyer the optional installation of the machines. In the hottest cities and in some luxury developments full air conditioning is included as standard.

Despite the fact that air conditioning is not an easy task, having this kind of system is within the reach of more and more people. In fact the pre-installation of air conditioning has been included in building projects for some time.

The same air conditioning system can be used in a house or a bar, in new buildings or those which are already built. Spaniards purchase around one million air conditioning systems per year. Manufacturers attribute this increase to the rise in citizens’ incomes. Standalone, roof-top and low silhouette systems, amongst others, are aimed at new buildings, amongst other uses. The commercial-residential range includes units with a power of between 7kw and 70kw.

Both the pre-installation and the installation of air conditioning must have suitable pipes and sufficient space for the machinery. Irrespective of the regulations, in the case of any installation for interior comfort it is very important to install it when the property is built so as to avoid future alterations with the associated cost and waste production. 

Passive energy saving techniques include insulating buildings. Citizens could save 25% on their air conditioning bills if the thickness of the insulation in new buildings was increased by 7 centimetres. It is about increasing the energy saving capacity in modern buildings. Buildings are starting to offer the maximum energy and CO2 saving potential.

Air conditioning and the environment
Since the US engineer Alfred Wolf installed the first modern air conditioning unit in 1902, this invention has become essential for combating the heat. The option of installing central air conditioning emerged during the fifties, also in the US, as a way of reducing building costs, particularly because roofs were lowered. 

However, the use of air conditioning represents a significant negative impact on the environment. This is the reason why scientists are working to obtain less pollutant refrigerants and why new techniques are being used to air condition buildings. Recently, Barcelona opened the first plant in Spain which uses the steam produced from incinerating urban waste for this purpose. On the other hand, the use of home automation in new buildings will lead to a significant saving in energy consumption.