PICSA: the European project for sustainable construction and transport in Andalucía

euronews (in English)

The Spanish region of Andalucía is on a mission to insulate thousands of buildings to prevent heat loss and regulate temperatures indoors and it's all thanks to a European initiative.

Transcript

00:00 Andalusia, in the south of Spain, is leading the charge in energy conservation, while creating

00:06 sustainable construction and transport solutions.

00:10 Thanks to this European project, which drew its inspiration from the award-winning PIXA

00:14 program, thousands of buildings have been thermally insulated in record time.

00:20 The subsidy rates were high, making it possible to complete more than 36,000 interventions

00:25 in less than one year.

00:27 This prevented the release of more than 85,000 tons of CO2 and generated 280 million euros

00:33 worth of savings for the families who benefited from the program.

00:41 More than 7,000 vulnerable families have benefited from the PIXA European Sustainable Construction

00:46 Project in Andalusia.

00:49 Here in the La Plata district of Jerez, many of the residents have retired, like Antonio.

00:54 With PIXA, the subsidies available for insulating walls and roofs rose to 70%.

00:59 Homeowners covered the remaining 30% of the bill.

01:02 And even if the work is invisible to the naked eye, the reduction in heat costs is evident.

01:07 "60% of energy was saved.

01:10 In total, five buildings and nine low-rise houses have been completely refurbished.

01:17 We noticed this, and when we talked to people, they tell us that the temperature indoors

01:21 is totally different thanks to these refurbishments."

01:26 The total budget for this project is 242 million euros.

01:31 54.2% of this comes from the European Union's cohesion policy.

01:35 A total of 8,300 companies are involved in this initiative, which has created 80,000

01:42 jobs.

01:43 PIXA serves as the cornerstone for a new sustainable energy development program in Andalusia.

01:49 For instance, in Palma de Rio, there are plenty of examples of the town's commitment to low-carbon

01:54 emissions.

01:55 Thanks to double-glazed windows, the historic Santa Clara convent has been transformed into

02:00 a warm and inviting cultural center and museum.

02:04 "Energy consumption has dropped by 50 to 60%.

02:09 The fact that there are European programs helping us to finance it means we can carry

02:14 out some very ambitious projects, which a municipality of 20,000 inhabitants like Palma

02:19 del Rio couldn't have done by itself."

02:25 When it comes to low-carbon transport solutions, the picturesque city of Cordoba has gone the

02:31 extra mile, boasting a bus fleet that runs on compressed natural gas.

02:38 "Gas is effective because it contains fewer polluting particles compared to other fuels.

02:45 By the end of the year, we'll have a total of 121 buses.

02:50 55 of these will run on natural gas."

02:53 [Music]

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