Brits Heading To Spain Could Be Left Sweating As New Air-Con Law Is Introduced

Every summer, scores of Brits head to the sunny shores of Spain to catch a tan and bask in the heat.

By day two though - when you're inevitably burnt to a crisp - the cold embrace of air conditioning can be a vital lifeline.

However, a new energy-saving law means that you may have to seek solace in shade/beer.

Offices, shops and hospitality venues will no longer be allowed to set their cooling systems below 27C in summer - so you may want to take a sweat towel out with you.

They also won't be allowed to raise heating above 19C in the winter under the new set of measures.

What's more, shops will also be obliged to keep doors closed, and heating systems must be checked more often to increase efficiency, ecological transition minister Teresa Ribera said.

Nick Hatton/Alamy Stock Photo

The measures include switching off store window lights after 10pm, though street lighting will not be affected.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the new package last week, saying: "You just need to walk into a shopping mall to realise that maybe the temperature is set too low."

So it seems they have the opposite problem to the UK, where we typically trudge through the rain in a puffer jacket before melting once we get into the shopping centre.

Anyway, the Spanish government passed the bill as part of a bid to reduce the country's gas consumption by seven percent, in line with the recent European Union energy agreements to limit dependency on Russian gas.

Ms Ribera said the measures will initially be maintained until November 2023.

Spanish public institutions already operate similar energy-saving regulations.

The government said the measures will not only save energy but will also bring down bills for households and businesses.

Spain is one of the hottest European countries in summer. The country has already had two heatwaves this year, with temperatures often surpassing 40C for several days in a row.

Temperatures are forecast to soar again in the first weeks of August, but thankfully if you are heading out, you'll still be able to blast that air-con in your accommodation.

It comes after PM Sánchez announced last month that the nation would be making many train journeys free, in a bid to help tackle the cost of living crisis.

Sánchez confirmed that multi-journey tickets for trains operated by the state-owned rail network, Renfe, will be free of charge from 1 September through until the end of the year.

The 100 percent discount applies to commuter services and medium-distance routes, shorter than 300km.

It is hoped the measures will encourage public transport use and help citizens struggling in the grips of the cost of living crisis.

Speaking on 12 July, Sánchez said: "I'd like the people of Spain to know that I'm fully aware of the daily difficulties that most people have.

"I know salaries cover less and less and that it's difficult to get to the end of the month.

"I am going to work my skin to the bone to defend the working class of this country."

Students over the age of 16 who receive grants will also receive a 100-euro (£84) supplement, he said.

The free travel will be funded by a windfall tax on banks and energy companies, enabling the trains in Spain to move freely on the plains.