# how prevalent is air conditioning in Spain?



## kdsb (May 3, 2015)

We are moving to Albacete on non lucrative visas and arrive mid-July. I am prepared for the heat and have booked an air conditioned hotel room to stay in while we look for a permanent place to live. 

I am wondering whether we will find that banks, stores, government offices, restaurants, etc. are air conditioned. I know the early afternoon meal is a big one in Spain but wasn't sure if we'd be in miserably hot restaurants if we go out to eat at 2pm -- if so, perhaps we'd be better off just taking food back to the hotel to eat and then heading out in the evening when things have cooled down.

I have heard it's a dry heat and I can handle heat pretty well, but my husband doesn't do well in heat so I want to make sure we are prepared. The kids will be going to day camp until 2pm and will probably want to be somewhere they can cool off in the afternoon.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

kdsb said:


> We are moving to Albacete on non lucrative visas and arrive mid-July. I am prepared for the heat and have booked an air conditioned hotel room to stay in while we look for a permanent place to live.
> 
> I am wondering whether we will find that banks, stores, government offices, restaurants, etc. are air conditioned. I know the early afternoon meal is a big one in Spain but wasn't sure if we'd be in miserably hot restaurants if we go out to eat at 2pm -- if so, perhaps we'd be better off just taking food back to the hotel to eat and then heading out in the evening when things have cooled down.
> 
> I have heard it's a dry heat and I can handle heat pretty well, but my husband doesn't do well in heat so I want to make sure we are prepared. The kids will be going to day camp until 2pm and will probably want to be somewhere they can cool off in the afternoon.


Many places do have a/c but it is nowhere near as common as in the US. We have several a/c units at home and only use them to cool (warm in winter) the odd room as necessary, this both saves our purse and the climate. Normally, at home, we use the Moorish way - open windows/doors with access to a cool patio at the bottom of the house than open windows in the attic (5 floors up) and this provides a column of cool air through the house at no cost.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Air conditioning*



kdsb said:


> We are moving to Albacete on non lucrative visas and arrive mid-July. I am prepared for the heat and have booked an air conditioned hotel room to stay in while we look for a permanent place to live.
> 
> I am wondering whether we will find that banks, stores, government offices, restaurants, etc. are air conditioned. I know the early afternoon meal is a big one in Spain but wasn't sure if we'd be in miserably hot restaurants if we go out to eat at 2pm -- if so, perhaps we'd be better off just taking food back to the hotel to eat and then heading out in the evening when things have cooled down.
> 
> I have heard it's a dry heat and I can handle heat pretty well, but my husband doesn't do well in heat so I want to make sure we are prepared. The kids will be going to day camp until 2pm and will probably want to be somewhere they can cool off in the afternoon.


While banks etc., may feel marginally warmer than where you are, it won't be stifling as there will be some sort of cooling system, and virtually all restaurants will have standing fans if they don't have air conditioners on the wall. Spain also likes to eat in comfort.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I'm not in the same area as where you'll be going, but around here all public buildings (including restaurants) have A/C. One thing to note is that the A/C is always run at a reasonable temperature - in other words, you won't have to take a sweater with you to wear in places with A/C. They keep the temperature pleasantly cool for people wearing light, summer clothes. 

It's just ridiculous how cold public buildings are in the States during the summer with the blasting A/C.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

kalohi said:


> I'm not in the same area as where you'll be going, but around here all public buildings (including restaurants) have A/C. One thing to note is that the A/C is always run at a reasonable temperature - in other words, you won't have to take a sweater with you to wear in places with A/C. They keep the temperature pleasantly cool for people wearing light, summer clothes.
> 
> It's just ridiculous how cold public buildings are in the States during the summer with the blasting A/C.


I used to find in FL, that it was doubly ridiculous. Inside it was like the Arctic but as soon as you stepped outside it was like being hit with a hot wet sponge, even in "Winter"


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

I worked in Saudi and Oman and used to open hotel windows to let the cold out.

Where we were in Spain there was aircon in Banks and the like but not often restaurants and bars. In the main summer months eating out was done in the relative cool of the night - starting at 10pm.


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## kdsb (May 3, 2015)

jimenato said:


> In the main summer months eating out was done in the relative cool of the night - starting at 10pm.


Yeah, this is what I am wondering. Since we'll be at a hotel at first I want to make sure we have a plan for meals, and wasn't sure if we should be planning on a midday meal out or just have a light meal in hotel rooms. I wouldn't want to show up at a restaurant after a hot morning running around and find ourselves in unbearable heat.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I think there is a law that government buildings aren't allowed to chill the air below 26C? Or maybe that was just during the fuel crisis. That's the perfect indoor temperature for me, anyway.

Most bars where I am don't have A/C because the doors are always open, people stand in the doorway smoking and chatting. The coolest places in town are the hotel bar (which is pretty soulless) and the health centre waiting room, where the old folks go to cool down in summer, warm up in winter and basically chat to their mates.


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## carquinyoli (Jan 5, 2016)

Albacete climate and surrounding area, Cuenca or Sierra Espuña for example , is very similar to inland South Oregon, US . Albacete capital is drier and extreme because it's at the back of the plain, but you and your family can survive in these area in a house without AC. The nights are cool or cold all year and you can control the daily insolation with tipical blinds and opening windows at night can be enough. Mostly restaurants and public place have AC, small bars and tascas it's more random.



The last one is Medford


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