Heating Solutions For Your Spanish Home

If you are thinking about buying a home in Spain, either to live here permanently or in which to spend holidays at various times of the year, heating is probably one of the last things on your mind, especially if your experience of the Costa del Sol has been limited to the summer months.  Although the climate in winter is very temperate, however, and certainly considerably warmer than in Britain, even one summer spent in the heat of the sunshine will see you quickly becoming acclimatised, which means that the inevitable drop in temperatures in the winter will still be noticeable.  The days are often still warm and sunny, but it is in the evenings that it can feel quite cold.  There are though, a number of excellent and very cost-effective ways of heating your Spanish home.

As in the UK, many Spanish properties are fitted with central heating systems or under floor heating, although rather than being gas-fired they are fuelled by oil.  You will find a range of local oil suppliers in the area, so shop around to get the best deal and remember to check whether the company that you use charges extra for delivery.

Another option is using the air conditioning units which are installed in most properties as a form of heating.  In nearly all cases the units can be used for both heating and cooling, although it has to be said that this can be a more expensive option and, if you are trying to heat a larger area, not as efficient.

Of course, one of the best ways to keep yourself feeling cosy on a cold winter’s evening is with a real fire.  Although fireplaces are relatively rare in the UK these days, they are a feature which you will not only find frequently in older Spanish properties, but many new ones too.  Not only is this an extremely effective way of heating a property, but unlike some other methods of heating, it is a dry heat which will not cause damp.

Paraffin heaters, gas heaters which use bottled gas and halogen heaters are other options, and the units are all pretty cheap to buy.  You might also like to consider some of the alternative energy sources such as solar, geothermal or biomass systems which, although more costly to install in the first instance, can make for a good long-term investment.