Energy efficiency in public buildings: what Congress demands from La Rioja and Murcia in 2026

Key data

The Joint Commission for Relations with the Court of Auditors has approved a resolution requiring two autonomous communities to catch up on energy efficiency. The audit report found that, between January 2022 and March 2024, neither La Rioja nor Murcia had implemented the measures required by the Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency in public buildings. The result: a set of mandates with specific deadlines that are now mandatory.

These are not recommendations: the resolution urges the central Government to demand compliance and establishes deadlines of between 2 and 6 months for each measure. The asset management and public procurement of both communities are directly affected.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution articulates a set of differentiated mandates: some apply to both communities, others are specific to Murcia. Below is the complete detail of each obligation and its deadline:

The central Government also receives an explicit mandate: to supervise that both communities comply with these obligations and demand the formal plans within 3 months.

Economic and operational impact

The implications go beyond daily energy management. These are the most relevant operational and economic consequences:

• Reoriented public procurement: Murcia will have to prioritize FEDER funds and the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (MRR) to finance energy improvement works, which implies adapting procurement specifications and spending justification procedures.
• Cost of energy certification: Murcia must certify all 512 public buildings energetically. Each certificate has a technical and administrative cost that, multiplied by the real estate portfolio, represents a significant investment in the short term.
• Obligation to renew 3% annually: In accordance with Directive 2012/27/EU, both communities must renew 3% of the surface area of their buildings over 250 m² with air conditioning each year. This implies planning works, budgeting and tendering on a recurring basis.
• New positions in staff or contract: The designation of energy managers in buildings over 500 m² may require internal training, reassignment of functions or specialized external contracting.
• Monitoring systems: Murcia will have to implement or improve systems that allow centralized control of energy consumption with monthly frequency, which may involve investment in management software or measurement infrastructure.

Who does it affect?

• Government of La Rioja: Responsible for the 391 public buildings audited. Must implement savings plans, designate energy managers and renew 3% of surface area annually.
• Government of the Region of Murcia: Responsible for the 512 audited buildings. In addition to shared obligations, must certify all its properties energetically, centralize consumption control monthly and prioritize European financing.
• Central Government: In its supervisory function, must demand formal plans from both communities within 3 months.
• Engineering and energy consulting companies: Demand for certifications, audits and renovation projects in the public sector of both communities will increase significantly.
• Construction and installation companies: The obligation to renew 3% of surface area annually will generate recurring tenders in both communities.

Practical example

Murcia manages 512 public buildings. Suppose 300 of them exceed 250 m² and have air conditioning (threshold of Directive 2012/27/EU). If the average surface area of those buildings is 1,500 m², the total affected portfolio would be 450,000 m². The mandatory 3% annual renovation would equal 13,500 m² of surface area to be rehabilitated each year, which implies planning and tendering energy improvement works on a recurring basis and budgeting them in advance.

Additionally, Murcia must issue energy efficiency certificates for its 512 buildings within a maximum period of 6 months. If each certification has an average cost of between 300 and 800 euros (depending on surface area and complexity), the total cost of the certification process could range between 153,600 and 409,600 euros, only in technical fees, not counting the improvement works that could result.

What should administrations do now?

1. Develop the formal energy savings plan and publish it in the corresponding official bulletin before 3 months have elapsed since July 14, 2026. Without official publication, the plan does not meet the requirement.
2. Identify all buildings over 500 m² in the public portfolio and designate an energy manager for each one. If there is no adequate internal profile, initiate the training or external contracting process.
3. Update the building inventory and establish a procedure for its annual review. The inventory must reflect surface areas, air conditioning systems and consumption.
4. Murcia: initiate the energy certification process of the 512 public buildings immediately, prioritizing those with larger surface area and consumption to meet the maximum deadline of 6 months.
5. Murcia: implement a centralized control system of energy consumption with monthly frequency. Evaluate whether current systems allow this frequency or if they require additional investment.
6. Murcia: review the financing strategy for upcoming energy improvement works to prioritize FEDER and MRR funds before resorting to own funds.
7. Both communities: calculate the 3% of surface area to be renovated in the current fiscal year and budget it in the next budget planning cycles.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-15348