Enough of the bad news! The good news is that the government grants for renewable energy are back up and running again for 2011. There is an annual quota set aside for grants and last year, we did a lot of solar installations, whereby we were able to pass on typical discounts of 40-50% to our clients. However, we had a lot of people coming to us in the latter stages of the year looking into solar and renewable energy installations, only to find out that the grants had run out for the year.

What’s more, we don’t know what the annual quota is, and it wouldn’t surprise us at all if the quota had been reduced, due to the state of public finances. Therefore, if it is something of interest, then it’s worth acting sooner rather than later. We would also just like to remind people once again that the grants can only be acquired through an installation company – like Oasis – that has the full accreditation from the ‘Junta de Andalucia’.

On that basis, we’ve decided to offer all those who have had Oasis installations a special deal on maintenance contracts, providing them with an extra ‘Super Guarantee’ at minimum cost which will then extend the warranty to 5 years. The Super Guarantee will be eligible for all maintenance contracts – both existing or new ones – for any Oasis installation (whether it’s air conditioning, heating or solar) carried out since January 1st 2008. For example, if the existing warranty is valid for 2 years (and in some cases, that means it may have already expired), the Super Guarantee will extend that warranty to 5 years.

The cost of the maintenance contract and the Super Guarantee will of course depend on the type and size of the original installation, so anyone interested will have to get in contact so we can provide you with an accurate quote. Furthermore, we will provide a 20% discount on the Super Guarantee if you take out the maintenance contract and Super Guarantee during the first quarter of 2011.

However, it’s also very important to choose the right company to do your servicing. ‘Which?’ magazine did an investigation into gas engineers in the UK back in 2009. They set up a boiler with a minor fault (and secret cameras) and got 10 different gas engineers around. The results were pretty shocking, this is what they found:

“Of our 10 gas engineers, one gas engineer failed to turn up. Of the other nine gas engineers, three were so bad we reported them to safety watchdog the Gas Safe Register. The Gas Safe Register said that the engineers were negligent, and launched an investigation. It is a legal requirement that anyone carrying out gas work should be on the Gas Safe Register.

What the Which? boiler investigation found:
- Two gas engineers did a very good job
- One gas engineer condemned our boiler and then disconnected the gas – even though it was perfectly safe
- Two gas engineers told us they had carried out checks which we knew they hadn’t done
- Five gas engineers failed to correct the boiler’s gas pressure
- Three gas engineers didn’t check whether our boiler needed cleaning. This is important, as a dirty boiler won’t work efficiently
- All of the gas engineers managed to fix the fault we introduced to stop the boiler working, apart from the one who condemned it – he didn’t get that far.”

We wouldn’t highlight this investigation unless we were sure that we will do the job properly for you. Not only do we have very professional and conscientious technicians that will make sure that the boiler is functioning correctly but we also have the special kit to carry out a proper combustion analysis to ensure that there is no danger from any toxic emissions like carbon monoxide.

Whilst the UK is hoping for good news on their bid to host the 2018 World Cup, Qatar is also awaiting news on whether it will be selected to host the 2022 World Cup. It would be the first time an Arab nation has ever hosted the World Cup….a sign perhaps of the shifting power in today’s world.

One of the biggest question marks, however, is how Qatar could host an outdoor sporting competition in the searing temperatures that regularly reach 50 degrees celsius. On the face of it, one would think that would rule it out all together. However, they have a plan that might just work.

Their way of overcoming this particular obstacle is to air condition the whole of each stadium with such a powerful system that it would reduce the pitch temperatures down to 30 odd degrees. This would be quite some feat and would require enormous amounts of energy. Of course, they know they couldn’t possibly use carbon emitting fossil fuels for such a project so they are proposing massive banks of solar panels so that all the air conditioning will be solar powered and ‘carbon neutral’. Wow, that’s quite a project! When you’ve got as many petrodollars as they have, I guess anything is possible…

So, whilst we continue to work on some fairly substantial energy projects here in Spain, maybe we should be setting our sights on the deserts of Qatar….surely we would win the pitch with a name like Oasis!

Sometimes we lose out on opportunities due to this ethos because it means we’re not always going to be the cheapest option available. We’re not the most expensive either…we aim to deliver the best value.

There are still those who don’t fully appreciate that choosing mechanical equipment – particularly when it comes to air conditioning and heating – is a bit like choosing a car. If you go for the cheapest option, then the chances are that you will get the worst quality equipment which will lead to an inefficient system that brings all sorts of costly problems further down the line.

Most of us in the industrialised world don’t buy the cheapest car on the market.
Whilst the look and feel of the car will play a part in the purchasing decision, so will the reliability and quality of the engineering. By and large, you get what you pay for.

However, there is of course the very odd occasion when even the most reliable and reputable equipment might fail and sometimes it’s due to an external fault. I’m reminded of the Quantas flight a couple of days ago that had a major engine failure – a Rolls Royce engine no less!

We had an unfortunate incident recently with a client for whom we had installed a Daikin air conditioning system. Daikin has been our preferred air conditioning brand since we began (although we do install other brands as well, specifically Japanese brands). They are undoubtedly the best and most reliable. However, our client had a nightmare, the Daikin system had a major problem after a couple of years and he was understandably very frustrated. The chances are it was caused by a big fluctuation in the electrical current, something that’s quite common in Spain.

Perhaps the lesson learned is that very occasionally, high expectations can create bigger frustrations, but that won’t put us off always striving to be the Rolls Royce of our field.

For those who may object to the idea of taking advantage of the government grants when public finances are in bad shape, it is worth noting that the money for the grants was allocated some time ago and is sitting there waiting to be used specifically for these purposes. So, the allocated money will be used for solar grants one way or another.

However, for those who aren’t in a position to be installing solar yet but would like to do so at some point in the future, then there is a lot of development happening that could make solar much more affordable further down the line, specifically in photovoltaic solar technology, used for electricity. Ironically, it is the much derided ‘carbon’ that could set us on the path to more affordable solar energy.

Scientists have now found that they can use graphene – a form of carbon much like graphite used in pencils – to absorb sunlight instead of silicon. One of the reasons, solar collectors are relatively expensive is because of the silicon used, and carbon is far cheaper than silicon. Although, it is not as efficient as silicon, it is far cheaper and more flexible in its uses. For example, they are already imagining having curtains in properties made of sheets of graphene!

However, don’t put that solar installation on hold because it will be a long time yet before they get these new developments into commercial uses.

In accordance with EU Regulation (EC) 2037/2000, as of the 31st December 2009, the purchase, use, or storage of virgin refrigerant R22 is not allowed. This is because R22 is an ozone depleting gas. The same thing applies to refrigerant blends using R22, such as R403B (69L), R408A (FX10) and R409A (FX56).

You can still own and operate a system that uses R22 but if you need to add R22 to your system (because you have a leak), you can now only buy reclaimed or recycled R22. However, not only is it increasingly difficult and expensive to get hold of R22 in this manner, it can only be acquired through a properly authorised business like Oasis.

I suspect most AC owners don’t know which refrigerant they have in their system. It is normally stated on the outdoor unit but often that can be difficult for AC owners to access (if it’s high up on a wall or on the roof for example). You may need to contact the manufacturer directly or contact a company like Oasis if you need assistance.

If you do have a system using R22, then there is no need to panic. In the short term, R22 is still available (as explained above) and in the long term, you might be able to continue using your system without a problem for years. If / when that problem arises, that might be the time to convert your system with either ‘Retrofit’ / ‘Drop in’ refrigerants, or indeed, renew your system all together.

That said, if you have a business that’s dependent on fully functional air conditioning, then it might be something you want to address sooner rather than later. If you needed to get hold of R22 further down the line, and it had become phased out completely, you could be without air conditioning all together for a few days/weeks whilst you either convert the system or get a new one installed.

Another important aspect to take into consideration is that some of the AC manufacturers are beginning to stock less spare parts for R22 systems, knowing that they are being phased out.

To summarise, those that have R22 systems will have to do something at some point and it’s much better to be properly informed before taking any action.

So what are the most economic options?

Solar collectors

Solar collectors (panels) are a very effective way of heating your pool during those months when it’s warm outside but not hot enough to heat the pool. Although solar collectors are not viable during the coldest winter months, they can provide you with free heating for several extra months. Unfortunately, whilst we have the full accreditation to acquire substantial government grants for solar installations, they are not granted for pool heating.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are one of the most efficient and economical ways of heating a pool, especially in a moderate climate like that of southern Spain. The basic premise behind heat pumps is that they don’t directly burn fossil fuel to create heat. Rather, they use a small amount of energy to transfer heat from one source to another. Heat pumps can heat your pool all year round, although the coldest winter months will entail significantly more energy consumption.

Biomass

Biomass is another renewable energy source that refers to vegetative or animal matter that can be then used as an energy source. In some cases, this can be as simple as a wood stove, but innovation in recent years has led to all sorts of energy efficient and cost effective types of biomass heating systems that use varying types of fuel from wood pellets to olive stones.

Pool Covers

It is of course essential to include a pool cover in whatever heating solution you opt for, in order to minimise heat loss and the need for energy consumption. What’s more, if you can afford one of the more advanced pool covers, they are a type of heating solution in themselves. Without even needing a heating system, a good pool cover can greatly extend your swimming season by retaining heat when the nights get colder. See our section on pool covers.

We believe it’s important to clarify the change in name. The company was founded ten years ago with the aim of being the most reliable customer focused cooling & heating specialist in southern Andalucia. Since then, we have grown a team of engineers that are fully qualified and authorised for a broad range of services in the field of energy.

The energy sector is at a very important juncture. For many decades, the western world has enjoyed the privilege of a high standard in life fuelled by cheap energy. Households full of electrical appliances and plenty of travelling have been affordable for most of us.

The energy sector is now going through a major transitional period. Our traditional energy sources – fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas – are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to find and extract. Many of the problems relating to the BP disaster were a consequence of having to drill deeper underwater than ever before.

Luckily, there is huge investment and innovation happening in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. We are now helping clients navigate through this transitional period. Whether the requirement is to cool a property, heat a pool, or install electricity, we work with our clients to find the most energy efficient and cost effective solution.

Therefore, Oasis Energy Solutions seems like a more appropriate name.

Have you ever considered the possibility that one day all our roads, motorways, and car parks could all be made of solar panels? Well if this company gets their way, that idea might not be as ridiculous as it sounds. I’m talking about a US company called Solar Roadways. In 2009, they won a contract from the Federal Highway Administration to build a prototype of the first ever solar road panel.

They’ve progressed and learned a lot since then. Their idea is to start small with driveways, paths and car parks. Once they’ve perfected it on a small scale, then they can start rolling it out on a large scale, replacing roads and highways everywhere. They believe it would end our dependency on fossil fuels all together.

Aside from storing energy for our homes and offices etc, we could also charge up and run electric vehicles on such roads. Imagine supermarket and fast food chain car parks made of solar panels. You could park your electric vehicle in the car park and charge it up while you’re doing your stuff. They even envisage a time when your car could be charged by the road as you drive along!

They’ve just entered the GE Ecomagination $200m challenge. Might be worth voting for them. See what you think: http://solarroadways.com/vision.shtml

Spain has just overtaken the US as the biggest generator of solar power in the world with the opening of the world’s largest solar plant in Badajoz. The plant, named La Florida, is about the size of 77 football pitches and generates about 50 megawatts of power.

Not only is Spain doing great things on its own soil but Obama has also just approved a financing deal for a far bigger solar plant to be built in Arizona that will be built and operated by the Spanish company, Abengoa Solar Inc.

Spain is continuing to invest heavily in renewable energy which is great news because it still has to import the vast majority of its energy to fulfil its requirements, which we of course have to pay for. Keep up the good work Spain!

The standard ‘green’ bulbs otherwise known as CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) are not ‘green’ at all. They contain mercury (highly toxic substance) and should be disposed of accordingly, but unfortunately they just end up in rubbish dumps in the ground. It’s horrendous.

There are far better types of bulbs on the market now, namely LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs. LED has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and can fulfil any need you have, from outside garden lights to cosy indoor lights with dimmer switches. They are significantly more expensive than both standard tungsten bulbs and CFL bulbs, but the benefit in terms of return on investment far outweighs any issue regarding initial cost. One study by Panasonic showed that their home 60W LED bulb would last about 19 years, based on daily average use of 5.5 hours a day.

An article in today’s Telegraph highlights the development and benefits of LED bulbs: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/greenproperty/7873021/Green-property-energy-efficient-bulbs.html

We advise, supply and install LED bulbs (installation help only required for large scale illumination requirements).

With that in mind, we have decided to do a short survey to firstly gain a better understanding of the levels of awareness regarding energy, the reasons for energy price increases and the options available to protect oneself. Secondly, we’re keen to understand more about the actions taken – or not, as the case may be – by those who are aware of the challenges ahead combined with the options available.

Increasingly, we find ourselves helping clients come up with solutions to complex challenges. Whether it’s providing the most cost effective solution for powering an entire property or whether it’s providing the most energy efficient and cost effective means for their heating/cooling requirements, our clients’ concerns indicate that escalating energy prices are becoming more of an issue.

However, to what extent energy has really become as issue on people’s minds is not clear to us yet. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate two minutes of your time to complete this very short survey. We don’t require any contact details unless you are interested in receiving the results in our newsletter, which you can sign up for in the right hand column of this site.

Please click here to go to our survey:

http://www.oasissolutions.es/more/surveys/

With eleven people tragically killed at the time of the explosion, we now also know that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of livelihoods in Louisiana – and probably Florida – will be severely affected through the onslaught of thick crude oil that will permeate every aspect of life along that coastline. Obviously the fishing industries are already in total disarray but the full effects from this ecological nightmare are unimaginable.

Of course, there are hundreds of questions being asked about why and how this could have happened, and to date, there have been very few explanations. However, the one thing we do know is that they were in unchartered territory. At 35000 ft deep, they were drilling deeper than ever before, and we now know that they were totally unprepared for anything going wrong at this level. Without getting into the ‘blame game’, the one very simple deduction we can make from this disaster is that we – as a world – are desperate for oil. To be taking such huge risks at such high costs is a clear indication that our accessibility to oil is fast running out.

Many people believe this to be a good thing in the long run but the fact is that right now we have an energy crisis. All over the world, despite the big concerns from an environmental perspective, nuclear reactors are being built again at HUGE expense in order to try and plug the energy gap.

What does this mean? It means energy prices are going to escalate dramatically. What’s more, Spain is especially vulnerable in this regard because it generates so little of its own energy, and depends on importing it from elsewhere. The BP disaster is a wake up call to the world.

We need to all try and be as energy efficient as possible and use renewable energy whenever we can….to save our bank accounts from disaster and our planet from further catastrophes.

Over the years, we have worked with many different PM (property management) companies, some of them clearly better than others. For the sake of this feature, we decided to focus on two companies that have stood out for different reasons, ‘Soto Comfort Care’ based in Sotogrande, whose clients tend to be home owners not involved in the rental market, and ‘HomeCareontheWeb’ based in Elviria, who run a fully comprehensive PM service for the Costa del Sol, including an increasing focus on the rental market.

The main reason we have worked with PM companies is because a key part of the service they offer is to attend to any problems the property might have, and organise repairs/replacements accordingly. So more often than not, we have been contacted to repair all types of heating & cooling systems (air conditioning, solar heating, pool heating etc)but also electrical and plumbing problems. Having said that, we also have maintenance contracts via PM companies, whereby we routinely service all the mechanics in the property to prevent problems occuring.

In many ways, it is that proactive and preventative focus that is a defining feature of the best PM firms around. They can save the homeowner not just big headaches but a lot of money by being proactive and maintaining properties thoroughly so as to prevent expensive problems occuring. That is certainly a very important aspect of what Soto Comfort Care is all about. As the President of the company , Anne van Uffelen, says, “It is essential that a property manager takes a proactive approach to maintenance and supervision of the any property. That is why our people are continuously surveying  the member’s property…. for each client there is a system of pro-active maintenance to ensure that not only critical systems , but any system , operates satisfactorily at any time of the year , the owner present or not”.

Being ‘proactive’ is a trait that not all PM companies have, and that’s why we were especially impressed with another PM company – HomeCareontheWeb –  who run a slightly different type of service, with the ‘rental’ market being a bigger factor for their business. Tony Sidebottom, founder of HomeCareontheWeb said that they have to be proactive in order to provide a specialist management service to meet owners’ needs for long-term and holiday lettings, including finding rental clients and managing the whole rental process from start to finish . What’s more he goes on to say that they “contact their owners via regular email newsletter to notify them of new products, offers and company news. For example, in January the company told their owners about a new product to control the use of air conditioning units, and set-top boxes for their televisions to prepare for the digital switch-over.” As he aptly summarises “Being proactive is the best way to help owners control costs and prevent problems”.

It has become very clear to us over the years, that absent property owners that don’t have a PM company in place usually end up far worse off for it. Obviously, giving responsibility for your property to someone else requires a huge amount of trust. That is why at Soto Comfort Care, “Every member of the company has its own dedicated comfort manager , a one to one relationship with the owner . The comfort manager is the unique point of call and as the title says , they care for the owners property and they look after it as if it were their own.”

When the founders of HomeCareontheWeb bought their holiday house 23 years ago, they couldn’t find anyone they trusted to care for their property, which of course was the inspiration behind setting up the business. As Tony explains “Not knowing where to turn,  we explored the options – from larger property management companies to local ‘one-man bands’ – but the experience convinced us that there’s a big difference between ‘managing’ a property, and really ‘caring’ for it.”

Although we’ve covered some of the most fundamental aspects of the PM service, the innovative and professional firms do far more than most people would realise. Yet again, both of these companies stand out in that regard. At Soto Comfort Care, Anne explains that their service goes way beyond what you might expect from a PM company including “administrative tasks such as paying bills , managing insurance portfolios , supervising and managing live-in personnel or simply subcontractors , dealing with the authorities on various administrative and fiscal matters . We offer a full range of services and the member , our client picks and chooses . Our pricing is fully tailored to the client’s needs and wishes . Never are there any surprises .”

At HomeCareontheWeb, the client can be fully involved and up to date via their own interactive website: “What really sets the company apart from its competitors is our advanced interactive website, which includes everything owners need to manage their properties from afar. Each owner has a secure online account management area where they can schedule cleaning before they or their guests arrive, check on the status of maintenance actions, book time to spend in their properties, view and pay invoices and much more, at just a click of a button.”

So our advice to any absent property owner without a PM company is to hire one. Whilst it may seem like a cost now, it will probably save you money in the long run. Many of the repairs that we carry out for clients could easily have been avoided if they had invested in maintenance and care beforehand.

We should point out that whilst we featured two companies to highlight the benefits of good property management, there are of course many other great companies and we couldn’t interview them all. Below you can find the details of the two companies we interviewed along with several other property management firms that we know well and highly recommend:

http://www.sotocomfortcare.com/

http://www.homecareontheweb.com/

Talpa Services:     http://www.talpaservices.com/english/

Links Property Management (Keri Ruggero)     Tel: 952901404 / email: links@santageorgia.com

Lisa Ives (Mijas Villas)  lisa@mijas-villas.com  Tel: 952 590 861

We Take Care:     http://wetakecare.es/

One thing you will all know from the increases in utility bills recently is that our energy requirements are becoming ever more expensive.and will continue to do so at an alarming rate over the coming months/years.

The good news is that there are ways for many of you to protect yourselves, and it’s all to do with renewable energy and energy efficiency. The government of Andalucia is providing huge grants with regards to these issues, both in terms of solar installations and replacing household appliances (including air conditioning units) for more energy efficient ones.

Solar technology has the potential to generate huge savings for domestic and commercial purposes.  There are two types of solar installation, ‘thermal’ for generating hot water/heating and ‘photovoltaic’ for generating electricity. For most of us, it is the thermal solar installations that can be most cost effective and beneficial.

One of the main objections in the past has been the cost of getting solar installed in the first place and the length of time it takes to recuperate that cost. However, with huge grants available from La Agencia Andaluza de la Energia, that perception isn’t correct. Typically, we can acquire grants of 40-50% for thermal installations, but in some cases small businesses can get grants for up to 80% of the cost. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about the grant, because we pass on the discount directly to you. It is our job to apply for the grant to make up that discount.

To acquire these subsidies, the installation company needs to have all the correct paperwork and the necessary accreditation from the government of Andalucia, and Oasis Solutions is fully authorised in this regard.

The other major opportunity for many of us to save money both in the short term and the long term is through a scheme called PLAN RENOVE. This is another government initiative aimed at promoting energy efficiency, and it effectively means that you can get 25% discounts (up to a value of 300€) to replace household appliances including air conditioning units for more energy efficient ones.  So, not only will you save a lot of money on the purchase, but you will also save money on-going because your appliances will be more efficient.

So, instead of dreading the next set of bills to come in, why don’t you at least give yourself some peace of mind that you are taking the first steps to lower bills in the future? Subsidised solar energy and more efficient air conditioning is too good an offer not to take up!

So it is, that we welcome Juan Ignacio Hidalgo, who is a heating & cooling engineer of the highest calibre. Juan has twenty years experience including fifteen years as the chief engineer at the company, Aguatécnica, which has always had a great reputation for the quality of its work. Aguatécnica was the installation/maintenance company of choice for Daikin, undoubtedly the best air conditioning brand around. That is to say that Daikin specifically chose and endorsed Aguatécnica to be their engineers for the Malaga province, and they were tasked with some of the biggest and most complex engineering jobs around.

Juan is not only fully qualified and very experienced, but he also brings many other fantastic qualities, including a genuine work ethic, and a keen sense of responsibility and leadership. Ultimately, Oasis will be judged on the quality of its work, which is why we are very excited to have brought in such a great new addition to the Oasis team. We now have 4 full time engineers and all being well, we will continue to grow.

We install all types of heating systems for pools but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first!