The associations that represent smaller retailers in Mallorca, Afedeco and Pimeco, are expressing their opposition to air-conditioning and heating restrictions that are to come into force from next Tuesday (August 9). Toni Gayà, the president of Afedeco, stresses that "not all premises are the same, there are those that need to have a lower temperature".
The Spanish government's contingency and savings plan was approved by the cabinet on Monday. Under this plan, air conditioning will be limited to a minimum temperature of 27 degrees, while heating cannot exceed 19 degrees. As well as shops, this measure will also apply to public and private administrative buildings, hotels, restaurants, bars and theatres. Hairdressers will be exempt.
Gayà criticises the fact that the measure is the same for the whole of Spain - it's not as hot in Asturias as it is in Andalusia or Mallorca. Toni Fuster of Pimeco adds: "At 27 degrees it will be hot and at 19 it will be cold; our climate is very different to that of other regions."
Another measure under the plan is that businesses will have to keep automatic doors closed in order to improve energy efficiency. The owner of a shoe shop on C. Sant Miquel in Palma says that the shop doesn't have a sliding door and that installing one will represent "a large investment". Where shops do have automatic doors, the measure is already being adopted - C&A and some other establishments on Avda. Jaume III had their automatic doors closed on Tuesday.
The Balearic minister for energy transition, Juan Pedro Yllanes, said on Tuesday that the government will publish an instruction to set a temperature of between 21 and 26 degrees in public buildings. "We will adapt to the state's requirements as we may experience a supply problem due to the Russian gas blockade."
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