Esmeralda Blasi (Barcelona City Council): "Applications for investment aid towards automatic doors make up 20% of total applications.”
On 31 October, the deadline for Barcelona City Council's grant call aiming to promote energy efficiency among the city's establishments came to an end. The call included installation of automatic doors among other measures. Esmeralda Blasi, Director of Proximity Development at Barcelona Activa, provides an update in the following interview. She reveals that funds for door investments currently comprise just over 20% of all applications.
Why have you decided to advocate for grants to stimulate energy efficiency in establishments across Barcelona?
During an energy crisis, where a staggering rise in energy prices is threatening the economic viability of businesses and community services due to soaring energy bills, it has become imperative to implement strategies that facilitate energy efficiency and conservation, all while tackling the current issue of climate change.
Furthermore, these subsidies are a response to Royal Decree Law 14/2022 of 1 August 2022, which mandates energy-saving and efficiency measures including the installation of appropriate door systems in commercial premises at street level. The law also specifies that the temperature in heated enclosures should be 19º and 27º in refrigerated enclosures. With this funding opportunity of 2 million euros, the objective is to encourage and offer financial assistance of a maximum of 3,000 euros per establishment, to implement energy-saving and efficiency measures.
What are the results of this round of calls?
The call, launched on 20 December 2022 and ending on 31 October this year, will benefit approximately 600 premises in Barcelona that have made numerous investments. These investments vary from installing or adapting automatic doors to prevent air conditioning loss, adopting LED technology for interior and exterior lighting, and replacing air conditioning, refrigeration, or machinery related to economic activity with models that involve energy savings or environmental improvement. Other forms of investment are also included.
One of the subsidies covers the installation of automatic doors at the entrance to the premises, aiming to avoid the loss of air conditioning. How is this issue assessed and what results were obtained?
It is important to note that this door model is a result of one of the measures outlined in the Royal Decree Law mentioned previously. On the other hand, representatives from trade associations have informed us that leaving doors open is often deemed convenient for customers to enter establishments, although it ultimately leads to a considerable increase in energy costs. This subsidy has enabled businesses that would have struggled to afford the economic cost of upgrading their doors to automatic systems to do so. This has resulted in reduced consumption of air-conditioning units and subsequently reduced energy costs. Applications for investment aid make up 20% of total applications.