"Buying in Rural Spain” 

(Written by Clients of Peek at Spain SL – Mike & Soo Stadius)

When people decide to move to Spain, the things that they are wary of, are, amongst other things, being without the “comforts of home”, i.e. mains electricity, water and drainage, and a telephone.  If the estate agent broaches the subject of solar power and/or deposit, or tank, water, some people are disinclined to even consider the possibilities, as solar power is thought of as “something new” and therefore to be avoided.  Deposit water supply is seen as returning to something akin to the Middle Ages.
When we started looking for property in Spain, we contacted Peek at Spain who, after showing us numerous properties within our original criteria, showed us the perfect house.  Our priorities when searching had been the usual, mains electricity, mains water/drainage and telephone.
Our property came with none of the above, but the situation and style more than made up for this.  We were told that solar power was easily obtained, and although enquiries were made, by Peek at Spain SL, on our behalf, to see if mains water could be added, this proved not to be practicable, at least in the immediate future.  With their help, we contacted both a solar system installer, and the man who would be our water supplier, who both proved to be extremely helpful.

Solar Power

When we first told people, both here and back in England, we were having this installed, they thought we were mad!  However, it is not such a new concept, nor as scary as people think.  Solar Power systems have been around for many years, and have continually improved, and provide totally “green” energy.  Within days of purchasing the house, work began to install the solar panels.  This was completed within the week, giving us more than enough power to run all the usual household appliances e.g. TV, fridge/freezer and washing machine (‘A’ category recommended) computer, lighting, etc., enough for a 5 bed house.

We also run the swimming pool pump and filtration system several times a day via the solar system.  Although installation costs are initially quite expensive, (for our system about 12,500 Euros) the EU gives grants of anything up to 50% for houses who are not already supplied by the National Grid.  These are applied for, and processed by, the supplier, and are not applicable for a self-installed system.  This year, 2005, the grant amount was around 24%.  

We have now been advised that there is a Government Zero interest loan available to get you on the way!  

Once installed, the system pays for itself, and there is the added advantage of NO BILLS!  There is also the reassurance that we have constant supply, other than those on the National Grid, whose supply sometimes fails in adverse weather conditions, or when too many appliances are used at once.  On particularly grey days (of which there are very few) we have a generator to boost the battery supply from time to time, thus the only cost is a minimal amount of fuel to power this occasionally.

Since acquiring this system, we have become much more aware of what electricity we are using - turning off unnecessary lights, appliances etc, whenever possible, and using low energy bulbs, although this is not strictly necessary.  Certain things use up a lot of power, e.g. irons and electric kettles.  Although it is possible to run the iron using the solar system, it drains the system quite quickly, so we tend to minimise the amount of ironing we have to do (thankfully!) and also plug the iron straight into the generator, via an installed socket supply direct to the house.

The system consists of solar panels (amount to be assessed by the installer with regard to your particular requirements), a series of large batteries and a power inverter to convert the stored electricity to usable power - in fact, your very own electricity substation. After all, when you switch a light on, it makes no difference where the power comes from - it works!

Water Supply

Our water is stored in a large tank, Depósito, under our house.  Water (any multiple of 12,500litres) is delivered within days of ordering, (in our case, by a man called Jesus, which we thought quite apt!) and each tanker load takes about 20 minutes to unload.  It is the same water that the rest of the population has, and is therefore drinkable.  We have installed a dual filtration system (very cheap and easy to buy and install).  

Water is pumped into the house on demand - when a tap is turned on, water is there, just as normal, but at better pressure than a lot of houses we’ve visited.  Costs vary according to the delivery company, but it is only slightly more expensive than “normal” water supply.  We pay between 60-80 Euros per load.  However, our house, like many, also has a very good rain collection system.  IF, and when it rains, water goes directly into the Depósito, thus cutting down the number of deliveries we need during the year (normally about six).

We have been told that we do not actually pay for the water, only for the delivery, which again, is very gratifying.

Waste water/sewerage, as with most properties in Spain, goes into a biological soak-away system which works very well.

Telephone

Again, we initially wanted a main telephone line, but were told that this was impossible, and were put on a waiting list for a Telefonica “TRAC”, or radio, phone.   

In the meantime, we use a contract mobile phone, which proves to be more economical than we first thought, even though we also access the internet using it in conjunction with our computer.  (Which is more or less equivalent to broadband).  

As an example of costs, a 46 minute call to the UK one afternoon cost less than 3 Euros, even though this was outside our ‘cheap tariff’ time. 

Conclusion

As you can see, these “alternative” supplies will prove to have somewhat cheaper running costs than standard, and it is always useful to bear in mind that in rural locations, the cost of local services (equivalent to Council Tax in the UK) can range from as little as 40 Euros per year!

Also, properties without the “advantage” of mains services tend to be somewhat cheaper than those already “lucky” enough to be fully supplied, plus you could end up with more land, and in our case certainly, seclusion, and fantastic views."

Bye for now

Soo & Mike

Note from Peek at Spain SL

Please note that our clients Soo & Mike were not asked for this write up by Peek at Spain SL.  They bought their property 18 months ago.

Since Soo & Mike still log onto our website and keep a keen interest in what we are doing and as they are now friends of ours, they decided they should let others know how they felt.

So, they wrote and sent this lovely article to us off their own back to help our clients considering moving here! 

Thanks Soo & Mike for such a clear and well written insight!  

Kind regards, 

John & Chris

(The Peek at Spain Team)

UK phone number: 0844-837-8945
UK phone number: 0871-990-3-550
Spain Office: +34-96-299-8133
mailto:enquiries@peek-at-spain.com
© www.peek-at-spain.com
© Peek at Spain S.L.
06/03/2006