The building rehabilitation is necessary when it comes to achieving greater energy efficiency within a home and that is why investment 1 of component 2 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) contemplates a rehabilitation program for economic and social recovery in residential settings. However, Javier BermejoCEO of Profine Iberia Kömmerling, denounces that European aid is not being executed at an adequate rate and calls for a specific PERTE for the sector.
What type of investments should be made with the Next Generation funds in the real estate sector to make them more efficient?
The aid from the Next Generation funds should be understood as a mechanism to renovate our building stock, which is currently one of the oldest in Europe and responsible for 30% of energy consumption in the country. Taking advantage of the Next Generation to carry out comprehensive rehabilitation projects in buildings and large blocks would be one of the best routes to achieve the energy objectives of 2030 and face the current energy crisis. However, carrying out comprehensive rehabilitations in which the insulation of an entire façade is reinforced and the carpentry is modified with new, high-performance ones is not always possible and, on occasions, reaching an agreement with the entire community of neighbors becomes difficult task. But the actions can also be carried out individually in a family, in the case of changing elements of the envelope, such as replacing old windows with new, more insulating and efficient windows, it is already susceptible to receiving aid, these actions are very easy to activate. generating thousands of performances by propagation and with all of them as a whole very significant improvements are obtained. On the other hand, comprehensive rehabilitations may be the best option for Administration buildings, or those property developers who manage real estate, either on a rental basis or other tertiary operations such as student residences, the elderly, etc. This type of comprehensive rehabilitation is more expensive than modifying a single constructive element, therefore, the FNGs become a tool with which to deal with this type of action.
What is the best strategy when it comes to making the funds profitable in order to return the reimbursable part?
If we focus on the aid applied to rehabilitation, taking into account current energy prices, the return on investment is practically guaranteed in the long term. But the objective must be that this return occurs in the shortest possible time and for that it is important that we focus the strategy not only on complying with the requirements established for the acquisition of funds but also on achieving the greatest possible reduction in terms of energy consumption. of the house.
For this, a professional baseline analysis is necessary to see where the weak points or main temperature leak points are located in the home. In the case of a private or single-family home, the initial energy certificate required, for example, should not be a mere formality, but should analyze the real situation of the home and provide conclusions on the best cost-benefit strategy to reduce our energy consumption.
Obviously, the worse the starting point, the faster the cost recovery will take place. Sometimes the optimal option lies in carrying out two actions; while, in other cases, a single action may be the best decision. A good example are homes where conventional aluminum sliding windows, so common a few years ago, are still preserved. In this case, just replacing them with high-efficiency windows already makes a substantial difference in energy demand that will help to recover the investment at a good rate while notably improving the comfort in the house.
Should there be more public-private collaboration when managing these aids?
Yes, in these months it has been shown that the user has problems when accessing these aids. You are aware of the importance of energy efficiency, its effect on energy consumption and you want to improve your home, but you see access to these aids as complex. In reality, the process is not complex, but when it comes to managing it, there is a need to generate a series of documents for its management that means that some of the possible beneficiaries do not have the necessary knowledge or tools to process it, for For this reason, the figure of the rehabilitation agent takes center stage, being a key piece so that the user does not perceive this process as something impossible and desists from their request.
If the public administrations do not simplify access to these aids, it is the companies in the sector who must make an effort and be a link between the beneficiary and the public administration. In this regard, for example, at Kömmerling we have launched a campaign in which part of our Official Network advises and helps end users with the management of subsidies.
Is the execution rate of the Next Generation funds adequate? Are the funds going to be executed on time or will a part have to be returned?
No, the rhythm has not been and is not being adequate. At the national level we are faced with a very different situation. There are Autonomous Communities whose deadlines for applying for the FNG are about to end and others in which the calls have not even been opened. This, added to the complexity that we mentioned regarding management, means that in many cases the FNGs are not going to be requested due to lack of time. We detected that there is an inequality between Autonomous Communities that, taking into account that they are European funds, should not occur. To this we must add that in those CCAAs in which aid has already been summoned and files are beginning to be submitted, management is being minimal and, even worse, almost no response is being received from the Administration.
We know that in some communities they are considering running user awareness campaigns, so that they know and request aid, we, on the other hand, are asking the Administration to carry out internal campaigns among the administrations themselves so that the tools that allow respond in a timely manner to the applications that are submitted, this will be the best guarantee that the Funds will be requested and used, otherwise we will find thousands of frustrated citizens who have requested aid and have no response or it takes a long time .
Will it be necessary for the European Commission to extend the execution period?
We understand that if the Administration speeds up the processing, the full terms that have been established for the investment of the Funds could be sufficient, but it is not in the hands of the European Commission, it depends more on the Spanish administration speeding it up, we see how in other neighboring countries, the rate of investment through this mechanism is being much faster, we do not understand first why it has been so delayed in Spain in its call and then, once called, why it takes so long to process them.
Is a specific PERTE necessary for the housing sector?
Yes, especially if we take into account that correct energy rehabilitation of the Spanish building stock can reduce energy consumption in the country by up to 90%. This data is relevant enough to consider developing specific and direct initiatives that favor the energy rehabilitation of homes and buildings. Apart from this, it must not be forgotten that the construction sector in Spain accounts for close to 12% of GDP and provides employment for more than 1.3 million people.
Can companies in the housing sector benefit from the Digital kit? What benefits does digitization bring to them?
As indicated by the Government of Spain, they can benefit from the Digital kit small businesses and the self-employed, who are the ones who may need it the most. Since large companies have already carried out this digital transformation and new technologies are part of our production processes and team management. In the field of small businesses and the self-employed, this kit is of great help to keep up-to-date and improve their business opportunities. Nowadays, everything goes through the digital world, from requesting a quote to change some windows to issuing an invoice. This kit allows smaller businesses to stay connected to consumer demands and adapt to new consumer habits.
Are you perceiving interest on the part of the possible beneficiary in applying for aid in the face of an action on energy efficiency in their home?
Absolutely, the number of requests for information has grown significantly in recent weeks, the increase experienced in energy costs is also being a reason for actions to improve the energy efficiency of the home. However, the problem that we find ourselves on many occasions is that, despite the interest, many families do not always have the necessary resources to invest in an action that, on the other hand, usually involves a significant outlay for the domestic economy. That is why aid is especially important, because it could be the necessary element for these families to improve the quality of their homes. From there, we look again at the Administration, because we are detecting certain levels of distrust on the part of the user in the awarding of aid, the question that is repeated many times is: what happens if after doing the action I do not receive the AIDS? And this is something very detrimental to this whole process, the Administration has to do its homework so that a user does not doubt that, once the requirements to access the aid have been met, they will receive their help within a known period of time and which, in addition, must be short.
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