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Increasing energy costs have led many companies and residents’ communities to technically restore their buildings, but when is it really necessary to restore the facades? Since 2006 the law has required that for buildings that do not meet a series of requirements and in general any building over than 20 years old, thermal refurbishment is advisable.
 
 
In practice, good insulation may result in up to 50% energy savings. Buildings over 20 years old often have imperfections on the facade and the materials do not provide sufficient insulation. For this reason, a large part of the energy consumed in the home for heating, for example, is wasted due to lack of thermal insulation. 

Since 2006, the Law has established that it is obligatory to insulate buildings that do not meet a minimum series of requirements. Therefore, thermal insulation is obligatory for refurbishments or restoration works that affect more than 25% of the walls of the building with a useful surface area of over 1,000 square meters. 

In many Spanish autonomous regions, subsidies can be applied for to restore building facades. Since a series of requirements must be met in order to benefit from the subsidies, it is advisable to go to a citizen’s customer service office to find out more. In some cities, such as Barcelona, the deadline for applying for subsidies is December 31.

While waiting to hear whether the subsidies will be approved or an agreement can be made with the residents’ community to approve the quotation, there are some actions that the building owner can take. One of them is to repair plumbing and leaks. It is also helpful to change windows for new ones that insulate well or that have double glazing and energy efficiency markings. Not only does this save energy, it will also insulate external noise.

Ventilated facades are the best solution for energy and acoustic insulation. This type of construction is made up of an insulating layer fixed to the existing facade with a protecting sheet that forms a chamber through which the air circulates. The solution is the most efficient, with energy savings of around 40% higher than traditional facades. 

As published on the Sistema Masa blog, the table below shows the difference in consumption between a house with poor thermal insulation and one with ventilated installation.