A Royal Decree setting down minimum and maximum temperatures in public buildings has been approved by the Council of Ministers.
The decree is mandatory and affects local administrative premises, commercial (shops, supermarkets, department stores or shopping centres), cultural (theatres, cinemas, auditoriums, conference centres and exhibition halls), hostelry (bars, restaurants and cafes ) and passenger transport (train stations and airports).
Temperatures inside heated buildings may not exceed 21 degrees in the winter and may not fall below 26 degrees in the summer. Relative humidity should be between 30% and 70%.
The Executive believes that this measure will stimulate business and institutional initiatives aimed at saving energy and increasing efficiency.
The legislation is part of the Activation Plan and Energy Efficiency Savings 2008-2011, which contains 31 measures for more rational use of energy.