Andorra Survey: Diesel Boilers Heat 60% of Homes as Renters Block Efficiency

Around 60% of Andorran households still heat with diesel boilers, while the rental market emerges as the main obstacle to improving energy efficiency, according to an energy-consumption survey of residential buildings presented by Andorra Recerca i Innovació (AR+I).

The study, part of the EVICC climate-change assessment project run with the government and FEDA and based on a sample of 751 respondents, found that being a tenant was the leading reason for inaction in six out of ten cases. Renters have no say over renovations or the installation of alternative energy sources, with the final decision resting entirely with the property owner.

The survey was presented by Oriol Travesset, coordinator of AR+I's sociology group. Its findings point to a strong dependence on fossil fuels, with diesel boilers described as the area with the greatest room for large-scale improvement.

Electric systems, by contrast, are gaining ground and now account for 24% of the total, six points more than in 2023. Air conditioning remains marginal, present in just 6.3% of homes.

On lighting, 62% of respondents said they use LED bulbs, 26% use low-consumption bulbs and only 12% still use incandescent ones. Travesset described progress on lighting as notable but said other areas still have a long way to go.

He said the survey has many applications in energy-transition policy and would be worth repeating every five years. Its aim is to establish the characteristics of homes, the equipment they contain and the energy-consumption habits of the population.