The capital has taken a step forward with the presentation of the Decarbonize Madrid Agenda, a municipal strategy that aims for a climate-neutral city before mid-century. The announcement was made at the Madrid Planetarium and was made by Álvaro González, Housing Policy Delegate and President of EMVS Madrid.
This roadmap builds on previous initiatives such as Transforma Madrid and the City Agreements, and focuses on the residential sector, where much of the energy consumption is concentrated. According to the City Council, rehabilitation and efficiency in buildings will be the main lever to reduce emissions.
Objectives and calendar
The plan is aligned with the European Energy Efficiency of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which sets a Reduction in primary energy consumption by 16% by 2030 and between 20% and 22% in 2035, with the horizon of climate neutrality in 2050. The municipal strategy translates these goals into concrete actions in the city.
The basis for the diagnosis is clear: 43% of Madrid's building stock has low efficiency levels and accounts for 55% of total consumption. Therefore, more than half of the reduction effort will target these properties, prioritizing those with the worst energy performance.
The City Council has set as an intermediate milestone the energy rehabilitation of 80.000 homes before 2030, including measures to efficient air conditioning.
The City Council also recalls that the building sector is responsible for a very significant fraction of consumption and emissions in Spain: around 40% of energy used and near the 32% of CO₂ emissions, which reinforces the need to act quickly.
Lines of action
The Agenda is structured around three major complementary pathways, designed to combine housing, urban regeneration, and energy efficiency policies. Each contributes specific tools to accelerate the transition.
- Rehabilitation Plan: launched in 2020, it promotes thousands of interventions to improve the efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability of buildings, with priority given to the lowest-rated properties.
- Transform your neighborhood: acts on the urban environment with measures of renaturalization and new green areas to mitigate the heat island; promotes local energy communities such as the one implemented in Orcasitas (Usera).
- Habita Madrid Strategy: monitors the actual performance after the works and relies on the new Decarbonize Visor, a public platform where you can consult actions, savings, and emission reductions.
These lines operate in a coordinated manner so that investments translate into measurable savings and thermal comfort in homes, with special attention to neighborhoods with greater energy vulnerability.
Indicators and results
Madrid has established itself as a national benchmark in energy renovation. According to municipal data for 2024, the capital exceeded the planned objectives by 150%, compared to a national average of 66,8%.
The actions carried out have resulted in a annual savings of 119 million kWh and in the avoidance of some 27.700 tons of CO₂ per year. These figures show the potential of renovation when it targets less efficient buildings.
The information and advice network has also grown: the Green Office and municipal channels have attended more than 15.000 queries of neighbors, communities of owners and professionals in the last year.
Investment and employment
Public-private collaboration is considered a pillar of this agenda. To date, more than 500 million euros for rehabilitation and efficiency actions, with a direct impact on the city's economic activity.
The boost to the sector has led to the creation of more than 6.000 jobs annual in areas such as construction, rehabilitation and energy services, aligning ecological transition and revitalization of the labor market.
With defined goals, governance that integrates housing, energy and urban regeneration, and tools such as the Decarbonize Viewer to provide transparency to the resultsThe Decarbonize Madrid Agenda focuses efforts on a more efficient building stock and a healthier city.
