Archived news from Real Spain
URGENT SALES. HUGE PRICE REDUCTIONS ON THE FOLLOWING PROPERTIES. MUST SELL QUICKLY.
1.Spacious 3 bed 1st floor apartment with huge roof terrace 80,000€ (REDUCED FROM 123,000€).
2.Beautiful 2 bed ground floor apartment + 1 bed studio apartment + large patio 82,000€ (REDUCED FROM 144,000€).
3.Farm with almost 5Has of land (mostly almond trees) and a villa of approx. 150m2. Kitchen, lounge, 4 beds, 2 bathrooms. Mains water and electric. Pre-installed for central heating. Some finishing required – window glass, bathroom and kitchen fittings, boiler and radiators. Second house with 4 rooms needing renovation. Sold with all paperwork in order. 135,000€ (REDUCED FROM 245,800€)
02/12/2009
EXCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT 48 APARTMENTS
Hot off the press at unbelievable prices - an exclusive development of 48 apartments in a Spanish hamlet with off-plan prices starting at 81,500 euros! These 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartments benefit from a communal pool and recreation area. 5 minutes to nearest town, 3 minutes to the motorway. Pre-reserve now as these will not be on the books for long.
18/01/2007
Fabulous Opportunity
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY!
450,000 euros
Due to unforseen personal circumstances, property reference number 447 has been greatly reduced in price and now offers an unbeatable bargain.
The property is a renovated olive oil mill and is set in olive groves on the edge of a small, typically Spanish hamlet.
A very spacious property of 600m2 offering 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, fitted kitchen, utility room, dining room, 2 sitting rooms and mezzanine area. Outside there is ample terracing with a bar-b-que area, changing room, shower and w.c., beautiful 11x5 metre pool and large double garage. The property is set in around 2 hectares of land and within easy reach of the facilities of both Vélez Rubio and Vélez Blanco.
At this price the property must sell quickly so please express your interest urgently.
28/06/2006
Alternative Energy Solutions
RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY FOR OFF-GRID LOCATIONS
What if that dream cortijo in an idyllic location turns out not to have a mains electricity connection? In this part of Spain there are still surprisingly many properties which either have little prospect of being connected to a "mains" electricity supply, or where the costs of connection are prohibitive. This understandably has a negative impact, both on their potential to provide a liveable “modern” home, and, of course, on their market value.
So what are the alternatives? With the current world energy situation there are actually very good reasons for us all to consider renewable energy supplies in domestic settings. However, for those of us who live in remote or other off-grid locations there is little choice. The problem here is that many misconceptions have developed about independent power supplies. For example, most people equate these only with “solar”. In this part of the world photovoltaics have acquired a rather negative image because traditional installers have not used them within properly designed and balanced systems. When applied with their capabilities understood and optimised, solar panels actually provide a very good and reliable energy source. But this is not the only option anyway. Even in the enviable climate of southern Spain, a “hybrid” solution is always best, based around solar, wind and other energy sources.
A second common misconception is that independent energy sources are rather “alternative” and esoteric, requiring special appliances and considerable technical knowledge to operate. Today’s systems are quite the opposite. They plug in to existing house wiring and provide power for normal domestic appliances operating at 230 volts. In operation these systems are indistinguishable from a standard “mains” supply, requiring minimal maintenance or special treatment.
A third misconception is that independent energy sources have a very high capital cost. It is true that traditional installers have tended to over-specify on the battery side whilst cutting corners on other components. In a properly designed system there should be no need to provide weeks of battery capacity. Advances in technology have meant that a relatively small and compact bank of batteries can be perfectly adequate for most domestic needs when combined with other efficient and effective components. This reduces initial set-up costs substantially. It also means that the system can be accommodated in normal domestic settings fairly unobtrusively.
With a little thought and care it is actually possible to achieve zero running costs from a well-designed domestic renewable electricity system in this part of Spain. However, as in all areas of life there is no such thing as the proverbial “free lunch”. In the Western world we have become accustomed to relatively cheap and plentiful energy supplies. This has made most of us rather profligate when it comes to use of domestic electricity. “Alternative” energy systems can certainly be designed to support this lifestyle choice, but are very expensive. This means that the imperative to be economical in energy consumption is perhaps brought into even sharper focus than it is with “mains” powered systems.
Our own systems are designed on the assumption that users will maintain energy-efficient lifestyles. But what does that actually entail? Firstly, people planning to rely on renewable electricity should think hard when making purchasing decisions. For example, we have found that homes using LPG for cooking get on particularly well with renewable electricity. Also, when it comes to renewing that old fridge, think about buying a low-energy model, or better still an LPG version! With regard to light bulbs, advances in technology mean that a number of very worthwhile savings can be made, particularly with the new LED-based type. Secondly, there may be some simple lifestyle changes which might profitably be made. Does that TV really need to be switched on all day? Do I really need to use the microwave to defrost frozen foods? Could I arrange to do the ironing when the backup generator is topping up the batteries? Maybe a bit of a nuisance, but extremely cost-effective. Surely, also, a very small price to pay for the undoubted pleasure of enabling that simple Andalucian peasant dwelling to be transformed into a home worthy of the pages of “Casas de Campo”!
Remember, finally, that if the energy experts are right we will all need to be living this way one day very soon. I certainly envisage a future where homes having their own independent renewable energy “power station” become the norm. Already in the USA there are many people selling back surplus power from their domestic systems to the national grid. At government level in Spain and the UK there is also a growing realisation that electricity generation following the distributed, “internet” model needs to be encouraged as the only real way of meeting tomorrow’s energy needs.
DAVID NIXON
President
Remote Energy LLP
Online: www.remote-energy.com E-mail: david@remote-energy.com
Telephone: 00 34 950068101 Skype address: RemoteEnergy
Mobile [Spain]: 00 34 666319974 Mobile [UK] 00 44 7733107089
24/10/2005
