Change in EU Law could affect you (Aug 2010)

Most people are not aware of the changes in EU law regarding the refrigerants used in air conditioning systems, so if you have air conditioning, this is important.

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 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 almost certainly need to do something at some point – it’s always better to be prepared!

Why not keep swimming until December? (Aug 2010)

For those with pools, now is your prime swimming time, but you could easily be swimming for the rest of the year. Heating a pool – especially in Andalucia – can be far more energy efficient and cost effective than most people think. What’s more, if you rent out your property, we are reliably informed that properties with heated pools generally yield more annual income than those without. With limited holiday rentals during the Spring and Autumn months, properties with heated pools are the ones that usually go first.

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 economically viable during the coldest winter months, they can provide you with free heating for the rest of the year. 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.

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.

Why Oasis is changing its name…(Aug 2010)

We are still Oasis but we’re no longer Oasis Climate Control or Oasis Energy & Building Solutions – we’re now called ‘Oasis Energy Solutions’. We will be changing the logo accordingly in due course.

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 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 because we simply cannot presume that our bills will remain this low for much longer.

Therefore, we are now Oasis Energy Solutions

Are we all on the road to solar power? (Aug 10)

We keep a close eye on great innovations and visionary organisations / individuals in the energy world, and just recently stumbled across a company with an amazing vision in solar energy.

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 not just world beaters at football…(July 2010)

I think everyone agrees that watching Spain winning the world cup was just fantastic. However, it’s good to see that Spain are world beaters in something other than football (and tennis, cycling, grand prix!)…..any guesses?

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!

Have you seen the LED light? (July 2010)

As we evolve here at Oasis from being a company that specialises in heating/cooling solutions to a total energy solutions company, we are obviously focusing more and more on how to save our clients money in the long run. We’re not a consultancy, we still install air conditioning, all types of heating, and electricity but underpinning everything we do is the aim to save our clients running costs through energy efficient solutions. As such, we are now also helping clients with ‘illumination’.

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).

How important is energy to you? (June 2010)

With energy efficiency at the heart of everything we do at Oasis, we are very curious to get a better understanding of the general attitudes of homeowners here in Andalucia towards energy in general.

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/

BP disaster is a wake up call to us all! (June 2010)

The on-going disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has now become a catastrophe on a scale that we cannot fully comprehend. Not only is there no end in sight but the repercussions of this tragedy will be felt for many years to come in so many different ways.

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.

Paying tribute to property management services! (May 2010)

With the aim of keeping our readers interested, we made the decision that not all our news features should be about Oasis. From time to time, we shall be exploring other fields of interest, specifically areas of commerce that complement our own. With that in mind, we decided to do a feature on the world of property management, a service business that is often under valued.

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/