# Heating in Catalonia / Balearics / Valencia



## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Hey Expatforum

I believe, I have a fairly common question regarding heating in the northern/middle Mediterranean part of Spain - Catalonia, Balearics, Valencia maybe.

One of the reasons for the planned move is a better climate, however, there is an unexpected paradox.

How do you survive in winter? What is the temperature in your living rooms / sleeping rooms?

Are there areas with central heating appartments in the Mediterranean part of Spain or not at all? Maybe, local heating for the whole one apartment block with a gas possible? Or any other option?

What is meant by "сalefacción" in the Spanish real estate ads? Normal heating system in the European sense of it or something else?

I think, heating via air conditioning system is not very pleasant and quite expensive as consumes too much electricity. But I am used to a comfortable temperature at home without need to sleep under 3 blankets ). 
Any way to achieve it without building own house from the scratch? 

Thanks!


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## Swerve (Jun 29, 2011)

Down in the southern Spain we are about 15k inland and when we are there in the winter we just use a gas fire for early mornings and of an evening we use the wood burner. We also either put the electric blankets on for an hour before bed or use a hot water bottle. The temp rarely goes below 10c anyway but warms up once the sun is above the mountains.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

The winters in Spain were horrendous. I think a lot of the problem is that everyone (including me) assume that Spain is hot! And while it doesnt generally get as cold as the UK, the houses are built for hot weather - lots of cool tiles, no insulation, no central heating, no mains gas (I think the last two things are around, but rare).

Anyway, what we did in the winters was simply have a calor gas fire and a couple of electric radiators and keep one room warm. Rugs on the floors help and of course lots of warm clothing. Its not uncommon for it to be warmer outside than in during the days, but once the sun goes down.........bbbbbrrrrrrrrrr

Jo xxx


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Tapas said:


> Hey Expatforum
> 
> I believe, I have a fairly common question regarding heating in the northern/middle Mediterranean part of Spain - Catalonia, Balearics, Valencia maybe.
> 
> ...


"сalefacción" just means heating of some kind, but central after the word means Central Heating.

We have that here & it is not cheap to run as red diesel is twice the price it is is the UK, they can of course by gas fired but that is also expensive.
If it gets really cold that is what we use, but bye & large the cheapest option for us is to pop the air-con on for instant heat.

Lots of improvments see each year getting better as we change this & that to better insulate the place.
Urban myth says Spanish houses are built for the summer sun (sorry Jo) That is not the case of course as a well built & insulated property will keep the heat out & keep it in when needed.

"My house walls are at least a metre thick & its really cool in the summer"
Yes that will be the case at midday as they have spent All Night giving off the heat that they absorbed during the day !
Yes of course the night indoors will be very warm !

Well placed good AA rated aircon units are the way to go & currently the cheapest form of heating, easy to install, instant heat, instant variable heat.

No I do not have any connection with anything aircon related.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

*Swerve*, "hot water bottle"  

*jojo*, this is what I am afraid of. I'm used to wear T-shirt at home all year round thanks to central heating 

*playamonte*, thanks. So, do you want to say that aircon is eventually cheaper than gas/diesel heating via radiators? I've heard just the opposite because of the high prices for electricity..


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Tapas said:


> *Swerve*, "hot water bottle"
> 
> *jojo*, this is what I am afraid of. I'm used to wear T-shirt at home all year round thanks to central heating
> 
> *playamonte*, thanks. So, do you want to say that aircon is eventually cheaper than gas/diesel heating via radiators? I've heard just the opposite because of the high prices for electricity..


I've heard that the air con heating works out cheaper/the same because it actually heats the room up quicker, so doesnt need to be on for as long. We used to use it sparingly to heat up initially and then used ta calor gas fire. Yes, to the hot water bottle and no to the tee shirt in the winter. Warm wooley socks, think PJs and dressing gowns!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

My third winter in south Valencia is coming! Looking forward to it! Lots of sunshine during the day. It gets a bit cold at night times, but it all depends on what's your definition of 'cold'. For me, it is not cold at all. We don't need winter duvets, hats, gloves, thick coats, scarves, etc. Everything is still packed since we moved from England. 

My room is usually 18 degrees at all times during the winter, which is the way I like it, I like a cold room when going to bed. 

If it gets a bit cold, then we have a nice smooth blanket to cover our legs while watching telly. 

This house is not prepared for winters but then again, here, the winter is like the summer in UK, lol! and it only lasts for a couple of months anyway. 

Both my neighbours spent ££££ installing fireplaces, heating, etc, and now they moan that they only use it a couple of times a year, no worth the money or the hassle. 

However, there is a big difference between the winters in (say) Barcelona and Valencia or Malaga. It is usually 'hotter' in Valencia/Alicante than it is in Malaga, both in summer and winter.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

You can always take a winter break in the sunny Canary Isles.

We have a radiator that hasn't been used for years. No rugs, no carpets, no wood burners needed in our house, I do have a pullover though.
.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Is Malaga colder? Wow, it is much more to the south..


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

*Hepa*, yes, big plus of the Canaries


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

ah.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

ok, good to know, thanks.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Tapas said:


> Is Malaga colder? Wow, it is much more to the south..


You can be in the Malaga area .......
On the coast it can be 18deg, drive for an hour towards Granada & it can be snowing !.
Alltitude will (and does) see some marked temp changes so it all depends on exactly where you are.

Most (bye & large) inland areas in Valencia *will be cold* after January as soon as they drop into shade, or the sun goes to bed.
Feb / March can see some real bad weather with heavy rain some years & for the "vast bulk" of people it will be cold in their houses.

Yes (IMO) aircon is cheaper that central.


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

Yes, only last night we had a tropical night in Valencia, 20 degrees and today 28 degrees. Malaga last night was 16 and today was 22 degrees. 

I am talking about Malaga city (coast) and Valencia city (coast). Inland areas in both regions can get very hot in summer or/and very cold in winter. 

My sister lives only 40 mins inland from us and the weather there is so different to ours, it looks like she is in another country!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

heres a few of old threads from years gone by 

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/92949-sunny-spain.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/102667-things-you-forget-when-you-live-spain.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...living-spain/91676-hola-d-heating-advice.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/139007-how-cold-you-today.html?highlight=temperature

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/42676-weather.html

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

I'm an hour-ish south of Valencia on the coast

my house is modern & has underfloor heating & piped gas from a tank which serves the urb

I hardly ever use it though - the costs are prohibitive & the vast majority of my neighbours don't use theirs either 

during the coldest part of the year we will still get daytime temps of around 20º for part of the day - maybe a couple of hours - but it can drop to 2º at night!!

we wear extra layers of clothes - throws & blankets to snuggle under on the sofa

We _already _have the duvets on the beds - the temperature dropped to 15º last night _:smow:


_but we have 28º predicted for today!


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## Swerve (Jun 29, 2011)

I'm from NE England so my idea of cold may be a bit different from others also sorry but women seem to feel the cold more than men lol. 

Eeek eeeeek what is actually wrong in using a hot water bottle it's either that or be cold. If you don't fancy it the just freeze I'm easy.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Swerve said:


> I'm from NE England so my idea of cold may be a bit different from others also sorry but women seem to feel the cold more than men lol.
> 
> Eeek eeeeek what is actually wrong in using a hot water bottle it's either that or be cold. If you don't fancy it the just freeze I'm easy.


We're all different and I am a cold morsel lol! I do think that heating houses in Spain is more reminiscent of how things used to be in the UK 50 years ago. Rather than a warm house, where every room is warm enough to wear a tee shirt, its more usual in Spain to heat just one room and to dress warmly. I have a friend who has a dedicated hotwater bottle and hoodie combo that she wears during the winter months!!!!


Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Swerve said:


> I'm from NE England so my idea of cold may be a bit different from others also sorry but women seem to feel the cold more than men lol.
> 
> Eeek eeeeek what is actually wrong in using a hot water bottle it's either that or be cold. If you don't fancy it the just freeze I'm easy.


the thing is, you acclimatise fairly quickly

I can NEVER remember being cold indoors in the UK, carpets make such a difference - in fact when I visited my dad I felt too HOT in his house in the winter!! 

our first winter here we couldn't understand what people were complaining about - the second, although we had, & used, the central heating, we all ended up sick with chest infections, because the house, like so very many, was horribly damp


now (our 11th winter here) we just put extra clothes on indoors, as I said - & head out to sit in the sun whenever possible 


anything below 20º is decidedly chilly....


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Fine, now all clear. Either hot water bottles and blankets or paying a furtune for heating poorly insulated house.

Need to build own one


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

I forgot third option - Canaries.

But they are "somewhere over the rainbow"


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## herman1996 (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi,

Heating is a big problem in the Mediterranean part of Spain. House sellers prefere not to talk about that or they tell you you will not need any heating. Perhaps, when you start to live here in winter this can be the case. But when you stayed here during summer, the next winter you freese! Your body adapt itself to the high temperatures and you will feel cold earlier. 

It can not be one’s intention to move to Spain to use 3 pullovers, wool socks, bankets etc. I love the heat of the sun and I have it also in my house. That means I have an infrared heating system and I do not pay a fortune to run it. As a matter of fact, I use infrared heating since 1984, long before I came to Spain.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Hi *herman1996*!

Yes, agree that something is very wrong in this field.

Do you mean those portable heaters or some kind of a more advanced system? 

If latter, then how does it look like? Is it hard to install? Does it warm the whole house or just some rooms? And how much does it cost + electricity costs to run it? What temperature can be achieved in the room?

Thanks!


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## herman1996 (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi Tapas,

I, at home, use portable heaters. I generally have 22ºC in the living room. That living room + kitchen are 45m2. My house is 110-120m2 detached, 38 jears old without any insulation. I have 2 heaters in the living room, one in a bathroom (7m2), our bedroom and my office. 

I do have only electricity, no gas, the wood fire has not been used since many years. I do not have AC neither a pool (2 things that use more electricity in summer).

Well, the difference between the Iberdrola bills for summer and winter is just 67€ for one month.


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

Tapas said:


> I forgot third option - Canaries.
> 
> But they are "somewhere over the rainbow"


I pick that one hoto:


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

*herman1996*, what is the kWt price you pay?

*Lonely*, sad that too far from home to travel back..


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

Tapas said:


> *herman1996*, what is the kWt price you pay?
> 
> *Lonely*, sad that too far from home to travel back..


not coming back...Oz is too expensive.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

btw, how do you people get hot water in Spain? Also, electrical heaters? How much do they cost in terms of usage?


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## herman1996 (Oct 26, 2013)

Tapas,
2,013779€ during the day and 0,080524 at night


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Hey herman, 

are you replying on my question regarding kW / hour or heating the water?

I hope, 2 euros for keeping hot water on demand during the day?


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## herman1996 (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi Tapas,

I made a mistake: it is *0,213779€* Kw/h during the day and 0,080524 at night. I never mesured what I spend on hot water. I have a timer on the 2 heaters that swich them on during the early morning.


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## Tapas (Jul 13, 2012)

Oh, I almost started to panic  Thanks for numbers!

Yes, as long as water is heated inside the house, then timers are essential.. Hot water from the central source is much more convenient, but seems it is utopia in Spain


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## Swerve (Jun 29, 2011)

Re heating water. From say April to end of September we heat our water in a black bin with a lid on it that we bought from a Chinese shop you know the ones I mean. I've had the temp upto 60c no problem. Just stick it in the sun. Other times of the year we just put the emersion heater on for an hour and a half every day. We also try to use most of our grey water ie bath water and dish water on the garden it all helps to keep the bills down. Also I can never pass a wooden pallet there ideal for lighting the fire.


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