Housing Labels

In 1999, the central government undertook a campaign to persuade Spains 17 regional governments to require, by 2002, that newly-built housing in Spain be energy efficient and could certifiably reduce CO2 emissions. The regional governments have jurisdiction over the housing norms, and the central government is suggesting that the housing certification be done by a building developer, using computer programmes that would help specify energy-efficient standards for the structure. The qualification would be on a scale of 6 to 10. 1999 standards for energy savings in buildings were established by Royal Decree 2429 of 1979, which set mandatory minimum requirements (NBE-CT-79) for thermal insulation. New, more strict mandatory standards, in compliance with the SAVE Directive were introduced in 2002. The autonomous regions were responsible for the enforcement of these standards, based on an evaluation of the building project at the planning phase and on random check-ups of new buildings. IDAE also worked on the development of instruments permitting Spain's adaptation to the "SAVE Directive" of the EU (93/76/EEC) regarding the certification and labelling of buildings.