London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Spain lowers the temperature on strict air conditioning rules

Spain lowers the temperature on strict air conditioning rules

The Spanish government is lowering the temperature - literally - on a heated debate about limiting the use of air conditioners.

Last week the government announced plans to prevent offices, shops and other venues from setting air conditioning below 27°C in the summer, as part of a drive to cut the country's energy consumption and limit dependency on Russian gas.

The new rules would also stop heaters being raised above 19°C in winter.

Although the government is standing firm on the plan as a whole, in the face of a wave of criticism, it is relenting a little.

A new list of establishments which will be exempt from the new rules has been published, and includes hospitals; universities, schools and kindergartens; and hairdressing salons.

Bars, restaurants, and certain shops will also be able to use air conditioning "at around 25 degrees" and not the 27 degrees originally announced.

The amended rules are supposed to cater to work places where staff have "physical exercise conditions", as opposed to sedentary workplaces like an office or a shop where employees don't do much physical activity. Those places will still have to stick to the original 27°C air conditioning limits.


Hospitality sector hits out


There was a particularly strong reaction to the new plans from Spain's hospitality sector.

"What they had dictated is nonsense," said César García, owner of one of the Vips Group restaurants in the city of Segovia.

"The hotel and catering industry has already suffered the consequences of the restrictions during the pandemic and now they want to impose more. We are not going to comply until we are sanctioned," he added.

Although García argued that allowing a temperature of 25 degrees is more realistic, he says it is still not low enough.

"We set the air in the restaurant at 18 degrees because between the machines we use people's body heat, the temperature is never the temperature set by the air conditioning machine. The restaurant stays at 24 degrees.

"People walk down the street at 40 degrees, so when they come in they want it to be cool. If I set the air conditioning at 25 degrees, between the machinery in the dining room, the kitchen and the doors to the street that are constantly opening, the place would be 28 degrees," he says.

A woman fans herself sitting on a bench on a street in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, July 20, 2022.


At the Casa Paco tapas bar in Madrid, worker Francisco Martínez also wants to be allowed to lower the air conditioner temperature further.

"With the heat right now, it's difficult to stay at 25 degrees inside the premises, and even more so in our bar where the sun shines all day," he said.

"It's 42 degrees outside!"

Even so, Martínez welcomes the fact that the temperature limit is not 27 degrees and does not fear that fewer people will come to eat and drink.

"The customers will protest for sure, but I don't think we are going to lose customers by applying the measure. I don't think it will affect them", he said.

Restaurants and bars are still in the dark about exactly how the Spanish government will police the new rules, and ensure compliance.


Loss of customers?


Hairdressers are also breathing a sigh of relief at not having to comply with the government-imposed temperature cap.

Mari Paz Osorno has been running a hairdressing salon in Palencia for several years. Every summer, when she opens the business each morning, she sets the air temperature between 24 and 25 degrees.

"Bearing in mind that we use three hairdryers as well as a solarium that releases hot air, it was unfeasible to have the air conditioning at 27 degrees. The clients would sweat a lot and the hairstyle would not hold. So we could not provide a proper service", said Osorno.

As a business that is now allowed to lower the air conditioner temperature by a couple of extra degrees, the hairdresses says nothing much will change for her, and she'll continue to set the inside temperature at the same level it was before the new energy saving plans were unveiled.

"Twenty-five degrees is a good temperature. It's not too hot or too cold, so you can maintain an optimal temperature," she said.

What worries the hairdresser most is the heating limit she will have to comply with in winter. "The client can't stay at 19 degrees with a wet head for two hours, which is how long it takes to dye a hair colour. It has to be at least 22 degrees, otherwise it's impossible. It gets cold," she states.

"I wouldn't go back to a salon that would make me stay at 19 degrees!"

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×