Government grants for solar installations and air conditioning upgrades (May 2010)

There’s a lot of money to be saved once you know about it,  and we are one of only a few companies that can help you.

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!

A special welcome to our new engineer (Apr 2010)

They say there is a silver lining to every cloud. It’s certainly true that one of the good things about an economic crisis if you are an employer lucky enough to be in a position to recruit, is that it provides an excellent window of opportunity to recruit great talent. There are more personnel on the job market to choose from and whilst most of the exceptional people remain in their jobs or find new jobs easily, every now and then, you can be lucky enough to find a real gem.

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.

Solar heat your pool? (March 2010)

In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

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!

Integrity and professionalism prevail! (03/03/10)

Having just come out of a meeting with a builder we’ve never worked with before, I felt inspired to write something, not just because of that meeting but because it’s been something on my mind for a while.

The economic crisis has been tough for everyone. We all know the boom time is over for the time being. Making money for old rope isn’t easy any more, but the irony is that this is actually something to celebrate.  When money is that easy to come by, it brings in hoards of second rate (or third rate) tradesmen – otherwise known as “cowboys” – who undercut the real professionals that are trying to carve out a living through integrity and quality. Making money by providing a bad service is never a good thing.

What I was reminded of today when I met my builder friend, is that this crisis is filtering out all the rubbish, and we are left with the good people who have built their enterprises on integrity and professionalism.

We deal with a very broad range of clients throughout southern Andalucia, some of them foreign, but many of them Spanish. However,  I have actually met a number of potential English clients recently who told me that they wouldn’t normally hire English firms who work in our sector – heating, cooling, electrics, plumbing – because they had had such bad experiences with them in the past. Luckily, they were able to see that we weren’t cut from the same cloth, and we’re now happily working together. But the point is that the “cowboys” were not only taking business off us, but were also destroying the reputation of our sector all together.

The builder I met today was Albanian but I’ve met some good professional English ones recently too!

Brilliant Solar Innovation! (24/02/10)

As Oasis evolves,  we will become ever more focused on energy efficiency because it’s going to be a huge area over the coming years. We all, both domestically and commercially need to find ways of reducing energy so that we can get to grips with rising costs.

Energy efficicency is already a hot topic but I think the innovations in this area are only just beginning to take off. As such, one of the things that I shall be doing in this blog is drawing attention to ground breaking innovations in our space that might be relevant to you on a personal level, or if not, will hopefully be something of real interest.

Today, I want to draw your attention to a company and a solar innovation that’s going to change the lives of millions of people, specifically those living in rural developing countries. It’s an amazing invention from a company called VNL in India, and they are winning all sorts of accolades around the world. Time Magazine has profiled them under their feature on ‘Tech pioneers that will change your life’.

WorldGSM™ is the first solar powered mobile network designed from the ground up to serve rural populations in developing economies — and do it profitably. Basically, they have created a solar powered mobile phone base station that has no requirement for the electriciy grid. VNL’s base station needs less than 100 watts of power, costs $15,000 (vs. $100,000 for a conventional one) and is profitable at just $2 of revenue per user per month. Traditional GSM (global system for mobile communication) stations break even at $6.

What a fantastic innovation in the solar space!

Readmore: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1948486_1948485_1948477,00.html#ixzz0gSz7FGjY

Bills set to soar! (16 Feb 10)

Every now and then one reads an article that doesn’t necessarily tell you anything you didn’t already know but it serves as a big wake up call. That’s what happened to me when I stumbled across this article about Richard Branson and others warning us of huge increases in bills coming our way. The article is actually directed at the UK but it’s the same problem for everyone. Oil is running out and inflation is ramping up….as if we needed any more bad news right now! Unfortunately, that means the cost of all our basic requirements are set to surge, especially things like heating/hot water.

In fact, the estimates in the article are very conservative. They talk about the cost of oil set to climb to a “sustained level over $100 dollars over the next five years”. Bearing in mind that oil has already peaked at $147 a barrel, the basic rules of supply and demand can only lead to one conclusion. Demand from highly populated countries like China and India are increasing all the time as they become more industrialised, and when it comes to supply, oil is running out. Combine that with increasing inflation, and I think the price of oil could sustain a level over $200 in the next five years, nearly three times what it is now. Not just our bills but everything from food to transport will go through the roof.

I believe we should all be doing whatever we can to invest now in ways to protect ourselves from these difficulties in the future. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are crucial for the future – that cannot be emphasised enough! As I write this, the rain continues to fall but luckily here in Andalucia, we know that we get more hours of sun than almost anywhere else in Europe so we are lucky that we can really take advantage of solar power. What’s more, the local government is even providing a huge amount of the investment up front in the form of grants and subsidies, both for domestic and commercial purposes. I think investing in solar power now is what they call a “no brainer”!

Here is the link to the article I’m referring to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/7203172/Britain-faces-oil-crunch-within-five-years-Richard-Branson-warns.html

Avoid unnecessary costs! (9 Feb 10)

Somewhere along the way, air conditioning units seem to have fallen into the same category as TV’s or fridges. In fact, it’s not just air conditioning units but all types of heating and cooling systems, including underfloor heating and solar systems.

That is to say that we – the royal we – are prepared to invest good money for them in the first place, and then we seem to think “that’s it!”…..we can just leave them alone and they’ll last for many years with no problems. Obviously, the better and more reliable the brand – like Mitsubishi Electric or Daikin – the less likely there will be any issues. However, they are NOT in the same category as other standard household appliances. In fact, they are much more like cars. To get the best out of them, they need regular servicing and looking after. Whilst that may require a small amount of investment along the way, the likelihood is that it will save you a lot of money in the long term.

The other day we got called out to repair a couple of air conditioning units in Marbella that had been installed by another company several years ago. It involved replacing a couple of parts and the lady in question was shocked at how much it all came to. When I asked how many times she had her system serviced since the installation, she looked at me blankly as if I was mad! Luckily, after explaining to her a bit more about how these things work and why we believe maintenance is a necessity not a luxury, she was actually quite grateful for the explanation. She had no idea about the need for maintenance….that wasn’t her fault…it’s probably the collective fault of those of us who work in the industry for not communicating this properly over the years.

The fact is that all heating/cooling systems do require maintenance. It might seem like a cost that you would like to avoid at the time but there is a strong chance that you will end up regretting not making that small investment along the way. Not only will you avoid expensive repairs and replacements, but your system will run more efficiently and therefore save you on monthly bills too. As I mentioned before, think of them more like cars. If you don’t look after them, they can become very expensive. For the cynics out there who might think we are promoting maintenance for our own benefit only, one must remember that we probably make more money on repairs!

We understand that saving costs is a big factor in everyone’s lives right now and it’s important for us to gain people’s trust in this regard.

Big grants for solar! (26 Jan 10)

It’s that time of year when we pick up that bill from Endesa and dread to think what we’re going to have to fork out this time. The cold weather and shorter days mean more heating, more lighting, and more money coming out of our back pockets. However, the truth is that the bills aren’t just getting bigger during winter – the general consensus is that all our utility bills will continue to increase over the coming years at an alarming rate, especially if the anticipated inflation really comes our way.

That’s why there has never been a better time for people to be thinking about tapping into all that free energy given out by the sun, especially if you happen to live in Andalucia. The coast wasn’t named ‘Costa del Sol’ for nothing!  I am of course referring to solar technology and the potential that solar has to generate huge savings for domestic and commercial purposes. If there is one place in Europe where it’s almost criminal not to have solar installed, it has to be Andalucia.

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. Well, it seems there is a big lack of awareness that there are huge grants available from the government of Andalucia, specifically from La Agencia Andaluza de la Energia, with regards to solar installations. The great news is that you don’t have to do all the paperwork to get these grants because we do that for you!

To acquire these subsidies, the installation company needs to have all the correct paperwork and the necessary accreditation from the government of Andalucia to be able to do apply for these grants. Oasis Solutions is only one of a handful of companies that has the relevant authorisation.

So as we edge towards the end of January, 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? Solar energy for all those living on the Costa del Sol or anywhere in the south of Spain has to make good sense, especially when so much of the initial investment is being subsidised.

New Year – New Website (19 Jan 10)

I guess we’re not too far into January to begin by wishing everyone a happy new year!

One of January’s redeeming features is that it heralds a fresh start. We all like to start the year with fresh ideas, hopes and ambitions. And so it is with Oasis that we begin the year with a brand new website. However, the new website isn’t just a new ‘lick of paint’, but rather an effort to communicate properly the nature of our company and what we do.

Although Oasis started out as a specialist air-conditioning company ten years ago, specifically serving domestic and commercial clients near Malaga, we have since evolved into a bigger company with a greater geographical reach and a broader range of services. However, we haven’t been very good at communicating that properly but then again, it’s fair to say that we haven’t really needed to. All of our clients over the years have come from word of mouth – but there’s nothing like a recession to force you to get your house in order!

The reality is that over the years we have substantially expanded our services by bringing in new fully qualified engineers and technicians. We are now authorised by the Ministry of Industry to carry out installations, maintenance and repairs for a whole range of services including all types of heating and cooling requirements (including heavily subsidised solar installations, but more about that next time), electrics, plumbing, water treatment, and all services related to swimming pools. Not only that, but our Oasis branded vans can be seen darting about anywhere from Nerja to Sotogrande, and I’m not just referring to the Costa del Sol buy many places inland too.

So, if any of your fresh ideas for 2010 relate to any of the above, I hope we can be of service!