The Housing Policies delegate, Álvaro González, inaugurated this morning the informative meeting ‘Towards the fair decarbonization of Spanish households’, organized by Europa Press in collaboration with the Alliance for Sustainable and Accessible Energy in the Home (AESAH). This initiative brings together representatives from the entire value chain of the energy sector and building industry to advance towards an inclusive and affordable energy transition for all households.
During his speech, González emphasized the City Council’s commitment to energy rehabilitation as a key axis of housing policy and the fight against climate change. The delegate highlighted that Madrid’s residential park is one of the oldest in Europe and that nearly 70% of the capital’s homes are built before 1980. This situation, combined with European objectives in energy efficiency, has prompted a strong commitment to urban regeneration.
González stated that around 20,000 homes are already being rehabilitated in Madrid each year, with the goal that at least 45% of these actions focus on energy improvement. «The City Council has made a strong commitment to leading the green transformation of Madrid’s residential park,» said the delegate, detailing that these actions have prevented the emission of over 16,200 tons of CO₂ per year and saved more than 68 million kWh in energy consumption.
Transform Madrid Plan: efficiency, digitalization, and innovation
These figures are achievable thanks to the implementation of the Transform Madrid Plan, which encompasses the Rehabilitates (accessibility, conservation, energy efficiency, health, and safety of buildings), Adapts (homes and premises for people with reduced mobility, sensory and intellectual disabilities, and rare diseases), and Transform Your Neighborhood (regeneration of vulnerable neighborhoods, improving public spaces, and promoting social cohesion), an integral municipal strategy that has mobilized over 301 million euros in public investment and around 400 million in public-private capital, generating 6,000 direct jobs per year.
The City Council has implemented pioneering measures such as specific support for solar roofs, backing for projects with Passivhaus standards, and the development of eco-solar neighborhoods, as in the case of Orcasitas. Likewise, it focuses on data digitalization and georeferencing of actions to prioritize interventions in less efficient buildings with greater social vulnerability.
A roadmap until 2050
González announced that the City Council is working on the development of the ‘Madrid 2050 Agenda: Decarbonize your home’, a roadmap aligned with the objectives of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) that will measure and ensure compliance with climate commitments in the medium and long term.
Furthermore, the City Council is promoting innovation in energy rehabilitation through pilot projects that promote flexible and low environmental impact constructive solutions, adapted to the diversity of the built environment. These initiatives aim to preserve the architectural value and historical identity of neighborhoods while enhancing the efficiency and comfort of homes, demonstrating that sustainability can go hand in hand with urban quality.
Finally, the municipal strategy also includes a comprehensive approach that combines improving the thermal envelope of buildings with the promotion of renewable energies, facilitating effective reduction in energy consumption. This approach, combined with digitalization and continuous monitoring of interventions, reinforces Madrid’s commitment to leading a fair, inclusive energy rehabilitation aligned with European objectives of climate neutrality by 2050.
«The challenge of decarbonization is not only environmental but also social, economic, and urban. In Madrid, we are demonstrating that it is possible to move towards an energy transition without leaving anyone behind,» affirmed the delegate. /
