The decarbonization of the residential sector – one of the largest energy consumers in Europe – requires diversifying the available solutions instead of betting on a single technology. In this scenario, biomethane gains weight, a renewable gas obtained from organic waste whose composition is practically identical to that of natural gas, which allows it to be injected into existing networks and used with the same boilers already installed in millions of homes, without expensive works or replacements.
Added to these advantages is the principle of technological neutrality, increasingly defended by the sector, in favor of, instead of imposing a single solution to meet climate objectives, setting emissions reduction goals and letting each building choose the most appropriate technology – electrification, solar thermal, heat networks or renewable gases – according to its climate, age, budget and access to infrastructure. This approach, its defenders maintain, allows for a faster, more inclusive and affordable transition, taking advantage of the large boiler park already existing in Spain.
Taking into account these premises, Nedgia, gas distributor of the Naturgy group, has sealed two agreements that put these principles into practice, the first focused on housing rehabilitation, with the National Association of Reform and Rehabilitation Companies (ANERR) and, the second more oriented towards new real estate development, through the renewal of its agreement with the ASPRIMA Foundation.
Alliance for rehabilitation
Nedgia and the National Association of Reform and Rehabilitation Companies (ANERR) have signed a collaboration agreement to promote energy efficiency in the rehabilitation of buildings using green gases. The agreement includes technical conferences throughout Spain, with institutional representatives, professional associations and consumer associations, focused on the role of biomethane, technological neutrality and the regulatory framework for boilers.
“This agreement reinforces our commitment to decarbonization and energy efficiency,” says Marta de Pablos, Director of Growth at Nedgia, who recalls that the company’s network is already prepared to distribute biomethane, a renewable gas of local origin that allows progress in reducing emissions, without the need to modify the interior facilities. For Fernando Prieto, president of the National Association of Reform and Rehabilitation Companies (ANERR), “current thermal generation technologies are compatible with green gases without the need for major changes in facilities and equipment, they are proven and are cost-efficient and save emissions.”
Renewal with ASPRIMA Foundation
Nedgia has also renewed its agreement with the ASPRIMA Foundation, linked to the Association of Real Estate Developers of Madrid, to continue promoting efficient energy solutions in the promotion of new housing. The agreement keeps Nedgia within the network of ASPRIMA collaborators, participating in technical conferences and offering advice to accelerate the progressive decarbonization of the residential park.
Francisco Torres, head of New Building at Nedgia, explains that the renewal of the agreement “affects Nedgia’s commitment to natural gas solutions for the housing development sector”, providing energy flexibility, comfort and cost savings, with facilities already prepared to incorporate biomethane. For her part, Carolina Roca, president of ASPRIMA, assures that the agreement “reinforces a strategic alliance with the energy sector, key to accelerating the transformation of the residential model towards more sustainable standards.”
Two ways, one goal
With both agreements, Nedgia of the Naturgy Group is positioned as a reference partner in both the rehabilitation and construction of new housing, two complementary fronts to decarbonize the Spanish residential stock. The company emphasizes that the wide potential for biomethane production in Spain reinforces the role of this type of alliances to move towards a more sustainable energy model, without giving up the comfort or security of supply that homes demand.
According to the company itself, Nedgia operates the most extensive distribution network in Spain, with more than 60,000 kilometers of network, 5.5 million supply points and presence in 1,222 municipalities. The company emphasizes that natural gas continues to be an essential element in the rehabilitation processes and that boilers continue to be a fully valid option, especially when they are prepared to consume green gas.