Indicators and Data in Spain Regarding Policies and Measures for the Mobilization of Investments into the Renovation of Buildings

Abstract

Indicators are necessary in the building sector to measure whether the long-term renovation strategies of the European Union Member States deliver the necessary progress towards the transformation of the building stock into a decarbonized one. Policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings have been identified as key issues to be addressed in the decarbonization of the building sector. In this chapter, we propose indicators to measure the evolution in Spain of the policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings following the European Commission recommendations and directives. We also studied the sources of information available in Spain for the development of these indicators and developed them when there were data. This study allowed us to conclude that in this country, there are not enough data sources to develop relevant indicators that measure progress in policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into buildings renovation. The need to resort to different sources depending on the information required implies a loss of data and lack of accuracy.

1 Introduction

The construction sector, mainly driven by the residential building segment, became the driving force of productive activity in Spain, with an average annual growth of close to 6% from 1998 to 2007. This increase in housing was motivated by the increase in employment, migratory flows and changes in family structures that allow families to afford home ownership (Spain’s Economic and Social Council 2016).

The expansion of the construction sector in Spain stopped in 2007 with the burst of the real estate bubble, after years of unsustainable growth. Since that moment, the sector started a free fall, accumulating a 50% collapse due to lower residential buildings construction and the decline in civil works (Llamas 2017).

The beginning of 2021 marked a period characterized by optimism, strength, and resilience in the construction sector, bolstered by the inflow of European funds through the recovery and resilience mechanism. Despite this positive trend, the 2021 construction sector Situation Survey in Spain (Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism 2023) indicates a decline in building construction by 15.5%. However, there is a contrasting rise in specialized construction (renovation activity), showing an increase of 15.7% according to the construction climate indicator.

Hence, directing investments towards the renovation of energy-efficient buildings can serve as an opportunity for their revitalization and the creation of sustainable employment, given the myriad benefits associated with such initiatives. It is crucial to implement various measures that promote this activity through all available mechanisms, including regulations, information and communication, financing, public aid, and effective policies.

A report from the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE, for its acronym in Spanish), published in September 2014, explored the feasibility of the activity of buildings energy renovation until 2020. This model proposed two scenarios for investment in energy building renovation: the residential sector and the tertiary sector. In addition, it took into account factors such as economic support from the Administration, the heterogeneity in energy consumption associated with buildings, the jobs generated, or the economic return obtained due to the improvement in energy efficiency, compared to the investment made in the execution of the most efficient measures (Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations 2014). According to the CEOE report, investment should initially be made in residential buildings where it is easier to improve energy efficiency, that is, where the investment would be lower and greater returns could be obtained due to savings in energy consumption. In later years, the energy renovation of residential buildings should be undertaken where it is more expensive to improve energy efficiency and the energy savings obtained are lower. Furthermore, over time costs should be reduced since the technical resources to improve energy efficiency would have been internalized and learned.

Regarding aid and subsidies from the Administration, the CEOE report argued that these measures are not permanent but instead function as a crucial initial catalyst. They play a vital role until the operations related to the renovation of energy-efficient buildings are well-established, and the requisite mechanisms are thoroughly understood and internalized. It was estimated that the need for financing through aid would be progressively reduced and would end up disappearing within a 10-year timeframe. In contrast, subsidization of loans would grow up each year, as more and more homes would be renovated, and these are accumulated for amortization.

Finally, the CEOE report reflected the amortization periods of private investment in the energy residential building renovation. The greater the public support, as an input for the activation of the energy residential buildings renovation, the shorter the amortization time of the private investment, that is, the investment made by the owners who decide to invest in renovating their home.

However, the CEOE’s predictions have not come true for several reasons. Renovation activity has not kept pace with what was expected, evidencing the need to overcome important economic barriers, among others. This need has been reflected in the successive evolutions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

The first version of the EPBD was published in 2002 (Directive 2002/91/EC). The EPBD was recast in 2010 (Directive 2010/31/EU). These directives are referred to as 2002 EPBD and 2010 EPBD in this book, respectively. The 2010 EPBD established that Member States (MSs) should take appropriate measures to consider financial instruments to promote the energy efficiency of buildings and the transition to almost zero energy buildings. A revised version of the EPBD was published in 2018 (Directive 2018/844/EU), which is referred to as 2018 EPBD in this book and is the EPBD currently in force. According to the 2018 EPBD, financial mechanisms, incentives and the mobilization of financial institutions for energy efficiency renovations in buildings should have a central role in national long-term renovation strategies (LTRSs) and be actively promoted by MSs. Such measures should include encouraging energy efficient mortgages for certified energy efficient building renovations, promoting investments for public authorities in an energy efficient building stock, for example by public–private partnerships or optional energy performance contracts, reducing the perceived risk of the investments, providing accessible and transparent advisory tools and assistance instruments such as one-stop-shops that provide integrated energy renovation services, as well as implementing other measures and initiatives such as those referred to in the Commission’s Smart Finance for Smart Buildings Initiative.

In 2019, the European Commission published Commission Recommendation (EU) 2019/786 of 8 May 2019 on building renovation (European Commission 2019), including guidelines for EU countries related to the application of the requirements of the 2018 EPBD. This recommendation is referred to as 2019 EPBD-related Recommendation in this book. It established a set of optional indicators to track the evolution of mechanisms set by MSs to support the mobilization of investments in renovation. Among these indicators we can find:

• Aggregation of projects, for example, investment platforms or groups that allow access for investors, as well as solution packages for potential clients.

• Reduction of the risk perceived by investors and the private sector in renovation actions that improve energy efficiency.

• Use of public financing to leverage greater investments in the private sector. The EU has increased public funding for energy efficiency through the ESI (European Structural and Investment) Funds.

• Direct investments towards public buildings with efficient use of energy.

• Development of accessible and transparent advice tools.

Currently, the EPBD is being revised. The latest draft version of the ongoing EPBD revision (European Parliament 2023), which in this book is referred to as 2023 EPBD Proposal recast, argues that financing plays a key role in achieving the Union’s energy and climate goals for 2030. There is a need for more cost-effective use of existing financing options, as well as the development and introduction of innovative financing mechanisms to support investments in building renovation and help homeowners as part of national initiatives.

Spain’s Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) has published a guide of recommendations to accelerate the renovation of the building stock and, thus, achieve an energy-efficient and decarbonized building sector by 2050 (Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda 2023). The document seeks to promote the implementation of measures identified in Spain’s LTRS (commonly referred to as 2020 ERESEE for its acronym in Spanish) as necessary for the transformation of residential and non-residential, public, and private buildings. These measures are organized into twelve structuring lines, which include initiatives such as public funding and the promotion and mobilization of private financing. Hereafter, a concise presentation is provided for the conclusions derived from this document regarding a state-of-the art of financing measures.

Regarding public funding measures, the main conclusions are:

• A Renovation Plan has not been designed to coordinate existing and future lines of aid.

• Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Subsidies, has been modified in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but the modifications introduced are not linked to the energy renovation of buildings.

• In the study of a new tax system favorable to renovation, Royal Decree-Law 19/2021, of October 5, has introduced new deductions in the Personal Income Tax for the cost of energy efficiency improvement works in residential buildings and homes and Law 10/2022, of June 14, has established the non-integration into the tax base of said tax of aid for the energy refurbishment of buildings.

• There are several regions that have developed initiatives for the implementation of a network of renovation offices.

• The National Subsidies Database (BDNS) is the system that in aggregate provides adequate transparency to subsidies and other aid granted by public administrations in Spain. In this last period there have been updates to the base, but they have not followed the line proposed by the 2020 ERESEE.

Regarding the promotion and mobilization of private financing, the main conclusions are:

• A line of guarantees has been approved for partial coverage on behalf of the State of the financing of renovation works that contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency.

• As a measure to eliminate existing barriers to private financing, the capacity of action of communities of owners to access credit for renovation and improvement works on buildings has been strengthened.

• Mechanisms have been activated from the public sector to complement the financing of urban renovation, regeneration, and renewal actions.

• Local entities have carried out initiatives to create public–private-citizen collaboration formulas to promote the urban regeneration of neighborhoods.

• On June 14, 2022, Law 10/2022 was enacted as an urgent measure to promote building renovation activity within the context of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. This law establishes a partnership between the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and the Institute of Official Credit, creating a line of guarantees to partially cover the financing of renovation projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. This initiative provides credit institutions with the means to offer financing in the form of a loan with a repayment term of up to fifteen years.

This chapter aims to propose and develop indicators to track the evolution of policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings. The indicators will be developed for the case study of Spain. This will also allow us to draw the main conclusions on their evolution.

2 Methodology

To develop the indicators that allow an overview of policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings we followed the methodology shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Source own creation

Methodology implemented to generate indicators on policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings for the cases of Spain and two of its regions.

The first step consisted in the development of a common template for these indicators based on the following scheme:

• Indicator:

  • Definition of the indicator.

  • Variables to quantify it and their unit of measurement.

  • Purpose and advantages of implementing this indicator.

  • Alignment of the indicator with the directives, agendas, action plans and strategies, covering the European and international, national, and regional scales.

  • Relationship of this indicator with other similar ones.

• Information sources:

  • Availability of information to generate this indicator at different scales.

  • Entity responsible for providing this information.

• Measurement:

  • Measurement method.

  • Methodology.

  • Current possibilities of obtaining it.

  • Information necessary to generate it.

  • Availability and quality of data.

To identify indicators for the evaluation of policies and measures aimed at mobilizing investments in building renovations, we examined suggestions from European directives and related documents. Two key documents were considered for this study. Firstly, we scrutinized the indicators outlined in the 2019 EPBD-related Recommendation (European Commission 2019), which introduced a framework of progress indicators for measuring the decarbonization of the European building stock. Additionally, we analyzed the indicators presented in the 2023 EPBD Proposal recast, representing the latest version of the progress indicator framework. Table 1 displays the indicators from both documents pertaining to policies and measures for mobilizing investments in building renovations.

Table 1 Indicators on policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings included in selected European directives and related documents.

The proposed indicators are grouped into two blocks in the 2019 EPBD-related Recommendation: comprehensive strategy to achieve a highly decarbonized building stock by 2050 and mechanisms to support the mobilization of investments (Table 1). The 2023 EPBD Proposal recast groups all the indicators in one section, named ‘Policies and measures’.

Given the extensive variety of indicators in the 2023 EPBD Proposal recast, we decided to develop a simplified version by leveraging the framework established in the 2019 EPBD-related Recommendation. In summary, the following indicators were suggested:

• Cost-effectiveness of main renovation measures per building type.

• Cost-effectiveness of main renovation measures per climatic zone.

• Public incentives for deep renovation.

• Public and private investments in deep renovations.

• Public investments in policy addressing the issues mentioned (split incentives, energy poverty, etc.).

• Public and private investments in smart technologies (including smart grids).

• Budget of national research programs in the field of building energy efficiency.

• Public investments as percentage of total investment in energy saving.

• Public–private partnership initiatives.

• Investment in energy efficiency renovations on the public building stock.

• One-stop-shop initiatives in place.

• Awareness raising initiatives (number, target audience reached, target audiences taking action).

• Number of integrated/aggregated projects.

Once the key indicators to cover this topic were identified, the available sources of information were studied. Since in Spain a good deal of the promotion and aid management of building renovation is delegated to regions, we used as regional case studies the regions of Aragon and the Basque Country. The previously defined indicator template was used to develop each indicator.

For the sake of transmitting all the information of each indicator in a user-friendly way, we also developed a summary template, which was used to deploy in a summarized way the information we got for each indicator.

3 Indicators

3.1 Cost-Effectiveness of Main Renovation Measures Per Building Type

The purpose of this indicator is to quantify and assess the evolution of the cost-effectiveness of building renovations towards the decarbonization of the building stock. The indicator specifically seeks to assess the cost-effectiveness of energy renovation interventions in buildings by considering the annual savings resulting from the envisaged measures and the corresponding investment. The inclusion of the variable building type is proposed as it allows for the identification and differentiation of specific requirements and scales for residential and non-residential buildings. However, no sources were found that compile this indicator (Table 2).

Table 2 Sources for indicator Cost-effectiveness of main renovation measures per building type.

3.2 Cost-Effectiveness of Main Renovation Measures Per Climatic Zone

The purpose of this indicator is to quantify and assess the evolution of the cost-effectiveness of building renovations towards the decarbonization of the building stock depending on the climate zone. Specifically, the cost-effectiveness of energy renovation interventions in buildings is based on the annual savings achieved by the measures envisaged and the investment made. The potential profitability of renovations and the differences between climate zones can be identified using the climate zone variables. It is worth noting that climate zones within the same province change according to altitude, and a wide range of climate zones can be found in some territories. However, no sources were found in Spain that compile this indicator (Table 3).

Table 3 Sources for indicator Cost-effectiveness of main renovation measures per climatic zone.

3.3 Public Incentives for Deep Renovation

The purpose of this indicator is to know the existing public incentives for deep building renovations. Economic incentives are financial motivations for people to take certain actions. Deductions are intended to subtract a certain amount from the amount to be paid to the State in respect of taxes in order to encourage certain conduct. In this way, the deduction for deep renovation is considered a public incentive.

The entity responsible for Tax-deductible expenses at the state level is Spain´s Tax Agency, of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration, which regulates personal income tax deductions relating to housing renovations. Each region has its own deductions, but they are regulated by the State through the Tax Agency, except in the case of the Basque Country, where each Provincial Council has its own tax authority. The sources of information to develop this indicator in Spain are national and regional (Table 4).

Table 4 Information sources for indicator ‘Public incentives for deep renovation’.

As this indicator cannot be developed with available data, an alternative variable was suggested: tax deduction for renovation or extension of primary households (€/year).

The national and regional (for the case of Aragon) data are directedly collected from the entity that manages national tax collection, i.e., Spain´s Tax Agency. Regional data on the Basque Country are collected directly from regional reports.

National data collected does not differentiate types of renovations and only considers renovations or extension of primary households, thus, it is possible to create an indicator partially related to public incentives for major renovations. Data from the Basque Country does not differentiate types of renovations either, being in the same situation. In Fig. 2, we can see the evolution of tax deduction to renovate and enlarge primary households per year [€/year] from 2013 to 2020 in Spain. Additionally, we can also obtain regional data from this source, as can be seen in Fig. 3 for the case of the region of Aragon. Figure 4 shows the data for the Basque Country.

Fig. 2

Source own creation from data in (Spain’s Tax Agency of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration 2020)

Public incentives: tax deduction for renovation or enlarge of primary households in Spain, between 2013 and 2020.

Fig. 3

Source own creation from data in (Spain’s Tax Agency of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration 2020)

Public incentives: tax deduction for renovation or enlarge of primary households in the region of Aragon (Spain), between 2013 and 2020.

Fig. 4

Source own creation from data in (Basque Housing Observatory 2020)

Public incentives: tax deduction for renovation or enlarge of primary households in the Basque Country, between 2012 and 2018.

3.4 Public and Private Investments in Deep Renovations

The purpose of this indicator is to quantify and track funding provided by public entities for major building renovations and private investments. Understanding the source, whether public or private, of the economic inputs for deep building renovation offers valuable insights in various ways. On one hand, differentiating between public and private funding sources provides a clearer picture of the dynamics in the renovation market. It helps in understanding the level of private sector engagement and the market's ability to attract private investments in building deep renovations. On the other hand, knowledge of the funding origin contributes to assessing the financial sustainability of renovation initiatives. It helps in determining whether there is a healthy balance between public and private investments, which is crucial for the long-term viability and scalability of renovation efforts. Finally, it is also helpful in decision-making. Stakeholders involved in building renovation, such as investors, developers, and policymakers, can make more informed decisions based on the understanding of where the funding is coming from. This information guides resource allocation and strategic planning for achieving decarbonization goals. The sources of information to develop this indicator include national and regional for the case of the Basque Country. Data for Aragon are unavailable (Table 5).

Table 5 Sources for indicator Public and private investments in deep renovations.

Data on public and private investments in deep renovations are incomplete for both the national and Basque Country levels. While updated information on the number of renovations is available, the energy-depth of these renovations remains unknown. Consequently, it is not feasible to establish an indicator specifically for public and private investments in deep renovations. Instead, an indicator can only be created for investments related to comprehensive renovations. This is assessed by considering the grants awarded, with data processed for each application cycle using CSV files provided by the information source. These datasets are openly published. For the case of the region of Aragon it is not possible to develop the indicator due to lack of data.

The public investment in buildings renovation indicator was developed at the national scale based on the following variables: amount in euros of public investment in building renovations (annual amount in euros of subsidies awarded and granted) and number of public investments in building renovations (number of subsidies awarded and loans granted), as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively.

Fig. 5

Source own creation from data in Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (Spain’s National Publicity System for Public Subsidies and Aid 2023)

Total amount of public investments in building renovations through national programs (subsidies and loans) from 2017 to 2021 in Spain.

Fig. 6

Source own creation from data in Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (Spain’s National Publicity System for Public Subsidies and Aid 2023)

Number of public investments in building renovation through national programs (subsidies and loans) from 2017 to 2021 in Spain.

The public investment in renovations indicator was developed at regional scale for the Basque Country based on the same two variables, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, respectively.

Fig. 7

Source own creation from data in (Basque Housing Observatory 2020)

Total amount of public investments in building renovations (subsidies and loans) in the Basque Country (Spain) from 2010 to 2020.

Fig. 8

Source own creation from data in (Basque Housing Observatory 2020)

Number of public investments in building renovation (subsidies and loans) in the Basque Country (Spain) from 2010 to 2020.

3.5 Public Investments in Policy Addressing the Issues Mentioned (Split Incentives, Energy Poverty, Etc.)

The purpose of this indicator is to quantify and track public investments granted from public entities for building renovations with a focus in different areas, such as split incentives dilemma, energy poverty, etc. This information provides insights into where resources are being allocated and whether they align with the overarching goals, and it also enables policymakers to assess the effectiveness of public investment strategies in addressing specific challenges. There are no available sources of information to develop this indicator in Spain or, at the regional level, in Aragon and the Basque Country (Table 6).

Table 6 Information sources for indicator ‘Public investments in policy addressing the issues mentioned (split incentives, energy poverty, etc.)’.

There is no data on public investment in policies addressing the issues mentioned in the variables. The only data available on public investment was already developed in Sect. 3.4 of this chapter.

3.6 Public and Private Investments in Smart Technologies (Including Smart Grids)

The purpose of this indicator is to track the public and private investments made to improve the smart readiness of the existing building stock. The term ‘smart readiness of buildings’ refers to the capacity of a building to effectively integrate and utilize smart technologies and solutions to enhance its overall performance, efficiency, and functionality. It encompasses the building’s ability to adapt and respond intelligently to various factors, including occupant needs, energy efficiency, environmental conditions, and connectivity. The concept of smart readiness involves the integration of advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, automation systems, and data analytics within a building’s infrastructure. These technologies enable buildings to optimize energy consumption, enhance security, provide better comfort for occupants, and contribute to sustainable practices.

No sources were found that compile this indicator (Table 7). However, it was found out that the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa is working on implementing monitoring systems and energy information systems aimed at more efficient and sustainable use of energy in public buildings. In the city of Zaragoza, the Housing Municipal Company is also implementing monitoring campaigns supported by smart sensors before and after the renovation of public rental housing to know the thermal performance, quality of air, and consumptions, in cooperation with researchers from the University of Zaragoza involved in the project of which this book is a result.

Table 7 Information sources for indicator ‘Public and private investments in smart technologies (including smart grids)’.

3.7 Budget of National Research Programs in the Field of Building Energy Efficiency

The purpose of this indicator is to understand the importance and development of national public investment in research on energy efficiency in the building sector. This way it is possible to analyze the progress of public investment in this area and to compare different policies and territories. The sources of information to develop this indicator in Spain are national and regional (Table 8).

Table 8 Information sources for indicator ‘Budget of national research programs in the field of building energy efficiency’.

The available national and regional data for this indicator in Spain are openly accessible, but the intricate nature of budget allocations across different authorities makes it challenging to directly identify and quantify the total investment in research on energy-saving in buildings. Investments are fragmented into different programs of different ministries, entities or public bodies.

3.8 Public Investments as Percentage of Total Investment in Energy Saving

The purpose of this indicator is to track the percentage of public investment in energy saving in buildings. This percentage reveals the level of public and private sector participation. A balanced contribution from both public and private sectors is ideal for sustained and widespread adoption of energy-saving measures. A significant public investment percentage, especially in the early stages of an activity that is not yet widely established, such as building renovation, can instill confidence in the market and encourage private investors to engage in energy-saving projects, contributing to the overall growth of the sector.

National and regional data for indicator ‘Public investments as percentage of total investment in energy saving’ are partially available, and they have to be obtained by combination of different data. It is possible to identify a specific investment, but identifying the total public amount invested in ‘energy saving projects’ in a direct way is not considered feasible. The budgets are spread over several chapters and items of the public budgets from various public authorities, and it is not possible to break down the items in detail in order to identify the energy saving items. In addition, the data for total investment, including both public and private investment in energy saving, were not been found. Consequently, it is not possible to obtain the percentage of public participation. Thus, no figure could be developed for this indicator (Table 9).

Table 9 Information sources for indicator ‘Public investments as percentage of total investment in energy saving’.

3.9 Public–private Partnership Initiatives

The purpose of this indicator is to know the number of public–private partnership initiatives aimed at leveraging building energy renovations. No entities were identified that create an inventory of public–private partnership initiatives (Table 10).

Table 10 Information sources for indicator ‘Public–private partnership initiatives’.

3.10 Investment in Energy Efficiency Renovations on the Public Building Stock

The purpose of this indicator is to measure and track the investment made in the public housing stock to improve its energy efficiency. No entities were found that collect data on investment in energy efficiency-related renovations in public housing stock (Table 11).

Table 11 Information sources for indicator ‘Investment in energy efficiency renovations on the public building stock’.

3.11 One-Stop-Shop Initiatives in Place

The purpose of this indicator is to determine the number of one-stop-shops and/or local offices that currently exist to assess whether they are achieving their objective of promoting building renovation by raising awareness and accompanying residents to manage the processes.

In Spain, the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, crafted by the Spanish Government and unveiled in April 2021, seeks to enhance information and communication in renovation processes. This goal is pursued through the promotion of one-stop-shops under the Renovation Offices Support Program. These offices are designed to coordinate, inform, and facilitate aid applications, offering services that support the comprehensive management of energy renovation projects in the residential sector. Their mission is to serve citizens, owners’ associations, companies, and renovation agents, fostering a centralized hub for streamlined assistance and guidance.

In Aragon, following the launch of the mentioned Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, the Renovation Support Offices initiative ‘Rehabilita Aragón’ was created. It was initiated by the Official Association of Architects of Aragon (COAA) and the Aragon Renovation Office, in collaboration with the Official Associations of Quantity Surveyors and Technical Architects in Huesca, Teruel, and Zaragoza. On the contrary, in the Basque Country, there is a rich tradition in the management of renovation through local offices. Typically, each renovation area has been served by a dedicated renovation office, functioning as a comprehensive one-stop-shop. The roots of this system can be traced back to 1983 with the approval of Decree 278/1983 on the renovation of the built and urbanized heritage, laying the foundation for this enduring practice.

At the national scale, the Council of Architects of Spain collects the renovation offices (Table 12). At the regional level, the OpenGela research project provides information for the Basque country (Table 12). However, since regions and municipalities are responsible for approving the renovation areas, typically associated with the one-stop-shops, their management services should be capable of collecting and publicly disclosing this data, and therefore the mentioned existing sources of information are considered insufficient for the development of this indicator.

Table 12 Information sources for indicator ‘One-stop-shop initiatives in place’.

3.12 Awareness Raising Initiatives (Number, Target Audience Reached, Target Audiences Taking Action)

The purpose of this indicator is to know the initiatives that are being developed to promote energy renovation in all sectors of the population, as misinformation was identified as one of the barriers that hinder and impede the generalized implementation of energy renovation of buildings. No centralized databases on awareness-raising initiatives were found. However, significant initiatives in this field are listed in Table 13.

Table 13 Information sources for indicator ‘Awareness raising initiatives (number, target audience reached, target audiences taking action)’.

3.13 Number of Integrated/Aggregated Projects

The purpose of this indicator is to quantify renovation projects that have been grouped with others of a similar nature to be able to access certain resources (such as financial, technological, human, etc.) that would not be available to them individually. No sources were found that compile this indicator (Table 14).

Table 14 Information sources for indicator ‘Number of integrated / aggregated projects’.

4 Conclusions

In this chapter, we proposed indicators regarding policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings. We studied the sources of information available for the development of these indicators in Spain, and two of its regions, Aragon and the Basque Country, and we developed them when there were enough available data.

For cost-effectiveness of main renovation measures per building type and climatic zone indicators, no open data were found to specifically develop these indicators, making it difficult or impossible to evaluate them.

With regard to public incentives for deep renovation, national and regional data collected include all types of renovations (without distinguishing between different energy depths) and only take into account renovations on primary households. This indicator cannot, therefore, be developed with available data. An alternative variable was suggested: tax deduction for renovation or extension of primary households (€/year). In Spain, from 2013 to 2020, tax deduction for renovation or extension of households decreased 39%, and in the region of Aragon by 34%. In the Basque Country, from 2012 to 2016, a decrease of 64% was observed and from 2016 to 2018 and increase of 55%.

Regarding public and private investments in deep renovations, national data are limited as only data from specific programs are available. On the other hand, the available data do not provide the energy depth of renovation and it is, therefore, not possible to distinguish between light, medium and deep renovations. For regional data, in the Basque Country, there are fewer limitations as both the number and number of subsidies and loans are provided, calculated annually.

Regarding the budget of national research programs in the field of building energy efficiency and public investments as a percentage of the total investment in energy savings, the data are dispersed across various ministries, entities, and public bodies. This fragmentation and lack of detailed information in the published data make it impractical to create the indicator directly and effectively, hindering the identification of specific energy-saving items.

With regard to public investments in policy addressing the issues mentioned (split incentives, energy poverty, etc.), data are limited as only data from specific programs are available. It should be noted that there are no direct data on the indicator, they have to be processed and this implies a loss of data and lack of accuracy of the indicator. For regional data, in the Basque Country, there are fewer limitations as both the number of subsidies and loans are provided, calculated annually. The only limitation is the lack of data on square meters renovated.

Two webpages, one national and one in the Basque country, were found that collect information on one-stop-shops initiatives. However, as the approval of renovation areas (to which one-stop shops are commonly associated with) typically falls under the jurisdiction of regions and municipalities, these web pages are deemed insufficient for the development of the indicator ‘Number of One-stop-shop initiatives in place’.

The first of the limitations encountered when analyzing the awareness raising initiatives lies in the difficulty of narrowing down which initiatives are included in the group of awareness-raising initiatives and which are not, as this is a broad concept. Moreover, as this type of action is often carried out by organizations, municipalities, etc., it is very complex to identify all the actions that are being developed, as there is no centralized database to collect this information. Therefore, the data collected here show only a small part of all the initiatives that are likely to be taking place.

Regarding number of integrated / aggregated projects, no source was found that collects data related to this indicator. The regions would be in charge of compiling this information, which is obtained in the renovation area approval reports and other requests to promote renovation at the expense of public funds that are identified as aggregated projects.

With regard to public–private partnership initiatives, investment in energy efficiency renovations on the public building stock and public and private investments in smart technologies (including smart grids), no source were found that collects data related to these indicators.

In conclusion, the insufficient availability of information sources in Spain hinders the development of the majority of the indicators aimed at gauging the mobilization of investments in building renovations. The necessity to rely on too many diverse sources results in data loss and a lack of precision, leading to the difficulty of development of some indicators. The lack of distinction in the data collected regarding energy depth of renovations makes it difficult to reach the desired conclusions on the effectiveness of policies and measures for the mobilization of investments into the renovation of buildings.