Pilar García (Agremia): “The renovation of infrastructures in Madrid will contribute to reducing emissions”
Pilar García, director of the projects and public subsidies area of Agremia, the Trade Association for the Infrastructure Sector and Energy, explains in the following interview the importance and the characteristics of the call for grants for the renovation of heating and cooling systems of Madrid City Council for 2024.
How important is the call for grants for the renovation of Madrid City Council's heating and cooling systems in 2024?
It is highly important for several reasons. Firstly, it contributes significantly to the improvement of air quality and the reduction of polluting emissions in the city, by promoting the adoption of more efficient and less polluting technologies in heating and air-conditioning systems. This call also reflects Madrid city council’s commitment to the fight against climate change, by encouraging the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy systems. The prioritisation of the substitution of oil-fired boilers aims to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants associate with this fuel. Finally, these grants will also have a positive impact on the buildings’ energy efficiency, not only reducing energy consumption, but also generating long-term economic savings for the owner and users of the renovated systems.
In short, the call for grants for the renovation of heating and cooling systems of Madrid City Council in 2024 is a key measure to move towards a more sustainable, greener and more energy efficient city. The success of the public-private collaboration between the Madrid City Council and Agremia in facilitating the management of these grants should also be highlighted.
What is the context of the call for grants and what is its budget?
The Madrid City Council's Air Quality and Climate Change Plan includes a set of 30 measures, including measure 23 ‘Promotion of efficient low-emission air conditioning’, which includes among its aims the replacement of oil-fired boilers. In order to contribute to the achievement of these goals, the ‘Madrid 360’ Environmental Sustainability Strategy envisages the establishment of a line of grants aimed at promoting the replacement of heating and air-conditioning systems with more efficient and less polluting technologies in the municipality of Madrid. Therefore, this line of grants is intended to contribute to the reduction of emissions into the atmosphere, mainly nitrogen oxides, particulates and greenhouse gases, as well as to promote highly energy-efficient systems in buildings.
Bases on the results from previous calls for grants, Madrid City Council has decided to focus efforts and resources on the renovation of oil-fired boilers in buildings, designating 1.8 million euros for this.
What will the resources be focused on and who will they benefit?
The purpose of this call for proposals is the refurbishment of heating systems that have oil-fired heat generators and are replaced, in whole or in part, between 1 January and 31 December 2024, by other generators that obtain their energy from supply networks (natural gas, electricity), thus avoiding the transport of fuel in the urban environment. As a new feature this year, thermal solar panel with also be subsidised.
The beneficiaries of this grant may be communities of owners of buildings for private residential use with two or more dwellings, and natural or legal persons, communities of property or other entities without their own legal personality, owners or tenants of privately owned properties with two or more dwellings or residential buildings belonging to communities of property, as well as those of establishments, premises or buildings belonging to the Tertiary Sector. The amount of the incentive will be determined by the final fuel used in the installation, and may reach 60% of the eligible cost in those cases where aerothermal equipment is installed.
How will applications be managed?
As published in the Decree of 27 December 2023 of the Delegate of the Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility Area of the Madrid City Council, Agremia has been designated as the collaborating entity in charge of managing the aid from the Cambia 360 Plan for the renovation of heating and air-conditioning systems. The processing and document management procedure will be similar to that established in the 2023 edition, in which Agremia will continue to act for the fourth consecutive year as a collaborating entity of the city council with the aim of streamlining procedures and providing advice to installation companies and all those interested.
The period to present applications will begin on 24 April and end on 22 November of this year, and applications can be submitted via the website www.calderasyclima.es. Any installer or user who requires further information can contact AGREMIA by telephone at 914687251 or by email at cambia360@agremia.com.