Swedish expat Anna Pom Pom, who built a career in television as a presenter and journalist before relocating to Spain. She now runs Anna’s Pom Pom bar in Benahavis and focuses on helping local people through various initiatives that benefit those around her.

Details of the June 7 charity event in Benahavis

Doors open at the Benahavis Pool Bar from midday on Sunday 7 June for a full day of activities dedicated to assisting one local family. Everyone will receive a community warm welcome at this gathering created to provide practical help during tough times.

Musical performances and kids’ entertainment delight all ages

Lucy Indrisie performs live at 4pm. Gema Cabanillas entertains guests at 6pm. Youngsters will laugh along to the Mad Professor Show at 2pm with more activities designed especially for children. Local resident Michael Braeuel will add to the occasion further by bringing in a radio DJ who keeps the energy high all day long with popular tunes and engaging commentary.

Tombola prizes second-hand market and meals raise funds

Participants can purchase tickets for the tombola, where prizes generously donated by community individuals await winners among adults and children. Visitors can explore the second-hand market stocked with clothing, toys, decorative pieces and household goods. All sales proceeds go directly toward support for the family in need. Guests can savour spaghetti dishes prepared on site while mingling with neighbours and friends.

People can drop off donations for the tombola or market the day before the event at the bar so Anna Pom Pom can organise everything smoothly by morning. Attendees will be able to experience joy and purpose simultaneously by joining the gathering. Support flows naturally when locals unite for a good cause.

Join this occasion and help create something meaningful for everyone concerned now. Bring the whole family to share the laughter, music and generosity. For leaving donations, Anna’s Pom Pom is on Calle Malaga, number 8, parallel to the main street, and the event is at Benahavis Pool Bar in Calle Molino, Benahavis.

New EU rules are ending gas heating across Spain — and property owners in Marbella and along the Costa del Sol are already making the switch to heat pumps.

If you own a property on the Costa del Sol and heat it with a gas boiler, the clock is running.

The European Union has confirmed that gas boilers will be phased out under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, with Spain required to eliminate new fossil fuel heating installations progressively from 2025, with a hard stop targeted for 2029. For the tens of thousands of British, Irish, and northern European property owners in Málaga province — many of whom installed gas central heating as an upgrade from oil or electric storage heaters — this means a decision is coming.

The question is whether to wait until a broken boiler forces the issue, or move now while installation teams still have capacity and lead times are manageable.

What the rules actually mean for your property

The phase-out does not mean your existing gas boiler becomes illegal overnight. What it does mean is that when it fails, a new gas boiler will no longer be a legal replacement option. Spanish property surveys are already beginning to flag gas heating systems as a future liability, and estate agents along the coast report that buyers are asking questions about heating systems they never asked three years ago.

Energy Performance Certificates — required for all property sales and long-term rentals in Spain — already penalise properties with gas and oil heating. As the 2029 deadline approaches, this pressure will only increase, and properties with heat pump systems will carry a measurable advantage on the market.

What replaces a gas boiler?

Heat pumps are the direct replacement technology, and Spain’s climate makes them one of the most effective places in Europe to run one.

A heat pump does not burn fuel. Instead, it extracts heat energy from outdoor air and moves it into the building — in the same way a fridge moves heat in reverse. Because it moves heat rather than generating it, a modern air-source heat pump delivers three to five units of heating energy for every single unit of electricity it consumes. A gas boiler, by comparison, converts fuel to heat at a ratio that never exceeds one-to-one — and in older systems, significantly less.

In the Costa del Sol’s mild Mediterranean winters, where temperatures rarely drop below 5°C even in January, heat pumps operate at peak efficiency for virtually the entire heating season. The same unit also provides cooling in summer, replacing the need for a separate air conditioning system entirely.

The real cost picture

A like-for-like heat pump installation for a 150m² Costa del Sol property typically costs between €8,000 and €14,000 fully installed. A new gas boiler for the same property costs €3,000–€5,000. The upfront gap is real.

However, the running cost picture reverses that equation over time. A detailed heat pump vs gas boiler cost comparison for Spain, published by Marbella-based installer Agua Therm, shows a 150m² property saving approximately €20,500 over ten years after switching — a figure driven by the efficiency advantage of heat pump technology over gas combustion.

Gas prices in Spain have also been volatile. Households that locked into gas heating before the 2021–2023 energy crisis saw bills double in some cases. Heat pumps, running on electricity with an increasingly renewable grid, offer more predictable long-term costs and insulate owners from fossil fuel price swings.

The oil heating case

For property owners with oil-fired central heating — common in larger villas and older rural properties across Málaga province — the argument for switching is even more compelling than for gas.

Oil heating in Spain typically costs between €3,500 and €4,500 per year to run. A heat pump for the same property runs at €1,200 to €1,800. Replacing an oil boiler in Spain with a heat pump also eliminates the logistics and inconvenience of oil deliveries, removes a diesel storage tank from the property, and reduces annual carbon emissions by approximately 75%.

For owners of rental villas and holiday properties, removing oil heating also resolves a growing insurance and compliance concern. Several UK insurers have tightened underwriting requirements for properties with oil storage tanks, and Spanish regulations around tank inspection and certification have become more stringent in recent years.

Who is already switching on the Costa del Sol?

The conversion is being led by two groups.

The first is overseas property owners whose gas boilers have failed. Rather than invest €3,000–€5,000 in a system with a legally limited lifespan, they are using the forced replacement as an opportunity to install a heat pump and avoid dealing with the issue again.

The second group is villa owners with oil-fired heating who want to simplify their properties, reduce running costs, and improve their energy certificates ahead of a potential sale or rental listing.

Local HVAC companies report that enquiries about heat pump installations on the Costa del Sol have risen sharply over the past 18 months, driven both by the EU deadline and by word-of-mouth from owners who have already made the switch and seen the difference in their bills.

Getting it right: Why a site survey matters

The most common mistake is making a purchase decision without a professional assessment first. Property layout, insulation quality, existing pipework, and electrical capacity all affect which heat pump system is appropriate. Getting the sizing wrong is the single biggest cause of underperformance and unexpectedly high electricity bills — an outcome that damages the technology’s reputation unfairly, because the problem is almost always one of installation rather than the equipment itself.

Agua Therm, a Marbella-based heat pump and renewable energy installer covering the whole of Málaga province, offers free site surveys to property owners across the Costa del Sol. The team specialises in working with overseas property owners who want an honest assessment in plain English before committing to any installation.

The EU deadline is fixed. For Costa del Sol property owners with gas or oil heating, the question is no longer whether to switch — it is when, and whether to do it on your own terms or when a breakdown forces the decision.

Agua Therm offers free heat pump site surveys across Málaga province. Visit agua-therm.com or call +34 711 004 350.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Hayden — English-Speaking Electrician & Independent Energy Advisor

Ben Hayden is an English-speaking electrician and independent energy advisor based in Marbella, Spain, with over 15 years of electrical experience across Europe. He provides independent energy and electrical checks for overseas property owners and managers across the Costa del Sol — helping clients cut electricity bills, navigate Spanish regulations, and make confident decisions on solar PV, heat pump, EV charger and battery storage projects. Ben advises in plain English on projects where the paperwork is in Spanish and the stakes are high. His writing has appeared in ExpatArrivals, Euro Weekly News, BuildingTalk and pv magazine.