Legislation to foment the use of renewable energies and solar thermal energy in building construction: The case of Spain - Solar Energy Sciences and Engineering Applications - page 663

fulfil current minimum energy performance requirements, but are also more
energy efficient, thereby reducing both energy consumption and carbon diox-
ide emissions''. For this purpose, the directive requires member states to draw
up national plans for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings.

b) Development of legislation in the member states of the European Union. As an

example, the Spanish Technical Building Code requires all new and renovated
buildings in which domestic hot water must be installed to use thermal solar
energy for part of the energy demand.

This legislation is supplemented by a series of programmes for the funding of
installations that run on renewable energy. The financial incentives offered can be
tax-related (i.e. tax exemptions, deductions or refunds) or in the form of investment
aids and low-interest project loans. Thanks to these legislative measures„ as well as to
government subsidies, in 2010, 80% of the new and renovated buildings in Spain had
thermal solar energy systems installed.

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