41% of Spain's housing stock has air conditioning

Summers in Spain are traditionally very hot but not all homes are equipped with air conditioning systems. In fact, 41% of Spain's housing stock is equipped with air conditioning, according to a study published by idealista, the real estate marketplace in southern Europe. To obtain these results, idealista analysed the more than 500,000 homes for sale and rent that were listed on its database on 15 June 2024.

The capitals most susceptible to extreme summer heat are those with the largest number of air-conditioned flats. In the city of Seville, 75% of homes on the market have air conditioning and in Cordoba, the percentage is 70%. They are followed by Valencia and Jaen with 66% in both cases, as well as Palma and Madrid, with 65%. The group of cities where more than half of the stock is air-conditioned is completed by Toledo (61%), Alicante (59%), Barcelona (58%), Malaga (58%), Murcia (55%), Badajoz (53%), Almeria (53%), Melilla (51%) and Ciudad Real (50%).  

On the other end of the scale are the cities in the north of the peninsula, where despite being traditionally cooler at this time of year, they are also prone to heat waves. In Pontevedra, there are not enough air-conditioned homes on the market to carry statistical weight. With 1% are Burgos, Lugo, Oviedo, Soria and Santander. These are followed by Avila, Vitoria, Leon and A Coruña (2% in all four cases), Palencia (3%), Bilbao and Ourense (4% in both cities).

Differences between homes for sale and rent with air conditioning

A significant difference in the rates of air-conditioning between rental and for-sale properties is that 56% of rented properties in Spain have air-conditioning, while only 38% of properties for sale have air-conditioning. The most likely explanation for this difference is that tenants value air conditioning as an extra, whereas when buying a property it is not so critical, as installation is inexpensive in relation to the purchase cost.

So, 87% of the properties rented in Seville have an air-conditioning system, while only 68% of those for sale do. In Cordoba, 85% of those rented have it, and only 68% of those for sale do, while in Jaen, 82% of rental properties have it, and only 63% of those for sale do. In Barcelona, 81% of the properties rented are air-conditioned and 50% of those for sale, while in Madrid, 75% of those rented are air-conditioned, compared to 58% of those for sale.

The situation is similar at the bottom of the table, except for Teruel and Soria, where none of the rental properties have air conditioning.

Data compiled and analysed by idealista/data, idealista's proptech, which provides information for a professional audience to facilitate strategic decision-making in Spain, Italy and Portugal.  It uses all the idealista database parameters in each country and other public and private data sources to offer valuation, investment, recruitment and market analysis services.