How much does it cost to have air conditioning at home in Spain?
With a particularly hot June and rocketing electricity bills, is it financially viable to have air conditioning in your Spanish property, or are the electricity bills too expensive?
With temperatures in the mid to high thirties during the day (and up to the forties in some places and Andalusia), and the mercury not dropping below 25°C at night in some parts of the country, summers in Spain can be insufferably hot for many people.
Obviously, there are many ways to cool down at home, whether it’s by having a shower, taking a dip in the swimming pool (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or using a fan to waft some air your way, but even by Spanish standards, May and June 2022 have so far been scorchers and have set the scene for a sweltering summer season.
READ ALSO: 11 ways to cut costs as Spain's electricity rates beat price records
Unfortunately, none of the short-term solutions are quite as effective or long-lasting as air conditioning, but the perceived high cost of having a device installed, the electricity it uses, and rocketing bills may put many people off getting it.
So how much does air conditioning cost in Spain and what are the factors that can influence pricing and monthly bills?
The device
There are several types of air conditioners available in Spain, some of which are not technically air-con machines but are sold as such, with the primary purpose being to take hot air from a room and turn it into cold air.
The split system, which has an external device that goes outside the home (balcony, façade, garden etc) and an internal unit, is the most common one in Spain and has medium electricity consumption. The split system can also include several internal units in different rooms, at a higher cost of course.
READ ALSO: How the right orientation of your Spanish home can save you hundreds on energy bills
The average price of a Split 1x1 (for one room) in Spain can vary greatly depending on the brand and its capabilities, with prices ranging between €300 and €1,400. Keep in mind that installation costs for split systems range from €300 to €400. This means you could be paying a total of up to €1,800 per room, but it would depend on the make.
There are also the more compact air-con devices that go on the wall and don’t require an external unit, as well as the portable devices on wheels, both of which cost less than split devices (€350 to €600) but have higher electricity consumption.
What to keep in mind when buying
- The power of an air conditioner is determined by 'frigorías' the unit which measures its cooling potential. Although the more 'frigorías' per hour determines how fast the device can cool, other factors such as the size of a room, the number of people in it, its geographical positioning, the temperature outside and the home’s building materials can all play a role in how effectively an air conditioner can cool. It’s important to bring all these factors up when talking to the seller.
- Buying a device with an energy performance certificate can influence your monthly bill. The highest rating (A+++) can save up to 125 percent of energy when compared to the lowest-performing air conditioners (G).
- Make sure your air conditioner uses Inverter technology, a system that regulates the speed of the compressor so that it works constantly but more efficiently instead of how older air conditioners operate - working at maximum speed at all times. This will make your device quieter, it will last longer and will lower your energy bills.
What will an air conditioner cost me in terms of monthly electricity bills?
Not only is Spain experiencing some scorching spring temperatures, but 2022 has also seen a record spike in electricity prices due to global inflation and the war in Ukraine causing natural gas prices to jump.
Yet, electricity prices had been rising before this year - over the course of 2021, people in Spain paid an average of €949 in electricity compared to €675 in 2020.
The price of electricity in June 2022 is above €200 per MWh and, according to rate comparer Selectra , air conditioning costs €0.44 per hour in the most expensive times, which are on weekdays between 10am and 2pm and 6pm to 10pm. In 2021 it cost €0.33 cents per hour.
According to Spanish consumer watchdog OCU, this increase will mean an additional €36 per month for using an air-con for five hours a day, on top of your normal electricity bill.
Setting your air conditioning to less than 25°C can also make your energy bills shoot up. "Each degree that we lower the temperature, consumption will increase by 8 percent, which in turn will increase our electricity bill," said spokesman for Selectra, Joaquín Segura.
2022's double-whammy of climate and energy shocks, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, mean that you might need to think a bit more carefully about using air-con and the effect it'll have on your electricity bills.
As mentioned above, there are a number of factors ranging from the air conditioner’s capabilities and efficiency to the room’s features, which can all influence how much you pay.
Spain and Portugal recently presented a joint proposal to the European Union to significantly lower electricity prices, aiming to cut bills to around €130 per megawatt per hour on average over the course 2022, compared to €210 in the first quarter of the year. Yet, bills remain high for now.
READ ALSO: Spain and Portugal present their ‘energy island’ plan for cutting electricity costs
For example, if we take the price of €0.44 per kWh and an average consumption of 2 kWh, as is the case for most air conditioners in Spain, we can calculate that switching one device on for an hour would cost you approximately €0.88.
This would add €26.40 to your monthly electricity bill if the air conditioner was switched on for only one hour a day for 30 days.
If you had it on for 10 hours a day, which can be tempting, especially in southern Spain in the summer, the 20kW daily consumption would cost you €8.80 per day, which would set you back €264 per month.
And if you wanted to leave your air-con on constantly for 24 hours a day, the 48kW of daily consumption would be €21.12, adding an eye-watering €633.60 to your monthly bill.
Keep in mind that these costs are only for the air conditioner’s energy consumption and that your monthly electricity bill will also include 'término de potencia' (contracted power), 'alquiler del contador' (electricity meter rental), 'impuesto sobre la electricidad' (electricity tax) and IVA (VAT).
One of the best ways to keep costs down is to keep the temperature on the air conditioner at a more moderate 25°C for a longer time than to blast cool air at 16°C for a shorter period.
READ MORE: What you need to know about installing an air conditioner in your apartment in Spain
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With temperatures in the mid to high thirties during the day (and up to the forties in some places and Andalusia), and the mercury not dropping below 25°C at night in some parts of the country, summers in Spain can be insufferably hot for many people.
Obviously, there are many ways to cool down at home, whether it’s by having a shower, taking a dip in the swimming pool (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or using a fan to waft some air your way, but even by Spanish standards, May and June 2022 have so far been scorchers and have set the scene for a sweltering summer season.
READ ALSO: 11 ways to cut costs as Spain's electricity rates beat price records
Unfortunately, none of the short-term solutions are quite as effective or long-lasting as air conditioning, but the perceived high cost of having a device installed, the electricity it uses, and rocketing bills may put many people off getting it.
So how much does air conditioning cost in Spain and what are the factors that can influence pricing and monthly bills?
The device
There are several types of air conditioners available in Spain, some of which are not technically air-con machines but are sold as such, with the primary purpose being to take hot air from a room and turn it into cold air.
The split system, which has an external device that goes outside the home (balcony, façade, garden etc) and an internal unit, is the most common one in Spain and has medium electricity consumption. The split system can also include several internal units in different rooms, at a higher cost of course.
READ ALSO: How the right orientation of your Spanish home can save you hundreds on energy bills
The average price of a Split 1x1 (for one room) in Spain can vary greatly depending on the brand and its capabilities, with prices ranging between €300 and €1,400. Keep in mind that installation costs for split systems range from €300 to €400. This means you could be paying a total of up to €1,800 per room, but it would depend on the make.
There are also the more compact air-con devices that go on the wall and don’t require an external unit, as well as the portable devices on wheels, both of which cost less than split devices (€350 to €600) but have higher electricity consumption.
What to keep in mind when buying
- The power of an air conditioner is determined by 'frigorías' the unit which measures its cooling potential. Although the more 'frigorías' per hour determines how fast the device can cool, other factors such as the size of a room, the number of people in it, its geographical positioning, the temperature outside and the home’s building materials can all play a role in how effectively an air conditioner can cool. It’s important to bring all these factors up when talking to the seller.
- Buying a device with an energy performance certificate can influence your monthly bill. The highest rating (A+++) can save up to 125 percent of energy when compared to the lowest-performing air conditioners (G).
- Make sure your air conditioner uses Inverter technology, a system that regulates the speed of the compressor so that it works constantly but more efficiently instead of how older air conditioners operate - working at maximum speed at all times. This will make your device quieter, it will last longer and will lower your energy bills.
What will an air conditioner cost me in terms of monthly electricity bills?
Not only is Spain experiencing some scorching spring temperatures, but 2022 has also seen a record spike in electricity prices due to global inflation and the war in Ukraine causing natural gas prices to jump.
Yet, electricity prices had been rising before this year - over the course of 2021, people in Spain paid an average of €949 in electricity compared to €675 in 2020.
The price of electricity in June 2022 is above €200 per MWh and, according to rate comparer Selectra , air conditioning costs €0.44 per hour in the most expensive times, which are on weekdays between 10am and 2pm and 6pm to 10pm. In 2021 it cost €0.33 cents per hour.
According to Spanish consumer watchdog OCU, this increase will mean an additional €36 per month for using an air-con for five hours a day, on top of your normal electricity bill.
Setting your air conditioning to less than 25°C can also make your energy bills shoot up. "Each degree that we lower the temperature, consumption will increase by 8 percent, which in turn will increase our electricity bill," said spokesman for Selectra, Joaquín Segura.
2022's double-whammy of climate and energy shocks, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, mean that you might need to think a bit more carefully about using air-con and the effect it'll have on your electricity bills.
As mentioned above, there are a number of factors ranging from the air conditioner’s capabilities and efficiency to the room’s features, which can all influence how much you pay.
Spain and Portugal recently presented a joint proposal to the European Union to significantly lower electricity prices, aiming to cut bills to around €130 per megawatt per hour on average over the course 2022, compared to €210 in the first quarter of the year. Yet, bills remain high for now.
READ ALSO: Spain and Portugal present their ‘energy island’ plan for cutting electricity costs
For example, if we take the price of €0.44 per kWh and an average consumption of 2 kWh, as is the case for most air conditioners in Spain, we can calculate that switching one device on for an hour would cost you approximately €0.88.
This would add €26.40 to your monthly electricity bill if the air conditioner was switched on for only one hour a day for 30 days.
If you had it on for 10 hours a day, which can be tempting, especially in southern Spain in the summer, the 20kW daily consumption would cost you €8.80 per day, which would set you back €264 per month.
And if you wanted to leave your air-con on constantly for 24 hours a day, the 48kW of daily consumption would be €21.12, adding an eye-watering €633.60 to your monthly bill.
Keep in mind that these costs are only for the air conditioner’s energy consumption and that your monthly electricity bill will also include 'término de potencia' (contracted power), 'alquiler del contador' (electricity meter rental), 'impuesto sobre la electricidad' (electricity tax) and IVA (VAT).
One of the best ways to keep costs down is to keep the temperature on the air conditioner at a more moderate 25°C for a longer time than to blast cool air at 16°C for a shorter period.
READ MORE: What you need to know about installing an air conditioner in your apartment in Spain
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