Interview with Dr.-Ing. Reinhard Hefele.

 

When did you start your company?

In the year 2000. Originally, we wanted to focus on pure business consulting. Then we got to know an invisible, ecological and healthy heating and cooling system on the basis of capillary tube mats, built it first in our own finca - and were thrilled. Just like all visitors, who always came with the same sentence in summer and winter: "It's nice with you!" Immediately all friends and acquaintances wanted this system from us. The manufacturing company did not have distribution in Spain, so since 2002 we have been the specialist in this field. What gives us a know-how advantage is the experience and consideration of our Mediterranean climate from the outset. Very often competitors fail here because they come here with the experience of Germany. It is just Spain and belongs to a special climate zone.

In addition to heating / air conditioning and solar energy, do you offer other options for environmentally conscious living?

Only if it fits in synergistically. For example, I always advise builders to insulate them: they have been neglected in the past, but good insulation is already half the solution. At the moment, we are testing the use of clay products in connection with our capillary tube mats, for example, in conjunction with a European funded project. Not for nothing there is the tradition of mud buildings in Spain and North Africa, our old finca has on two sides in the old building walls of stone and clay. Otherwise, I focus on our core area with the goal of always being at the forefront of technology here. This also includes the most modern control of heating and cooling in automated and programmed dependence on indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, etc. The regulations are made in close cooperation with the development departments of suppliers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to our needs Develop the software programs for it, because in the "North" just does not understand the problems here. Even with this fine-tuning of all components can be even more to help save energy.

In addition, I can remotely monitor any construction site via the Internet, so there is no problem for us to manage projects in Menorca, Northern Spain, Madrid to Cadiz and Lanzarote. In Mallorca, a project is currently running from us to a low-energy house of a German entrepreneur, which can become a model. In Sotogrande, for example, it is about equipping a bodega, which must always maintain a certain temperature and humidity, whatever the weather, to name but two extreme examples.

How are the Spaniards dealing with alternative methods of generating energy? Which nations advocate the alternative options more, Spaniards or Germans? If it should not be the Spaniards: why is it?

You can not compare that. In Spain, the electricity was dirt cheap for many years, so that here no austerity tradition had to develop. In addition, the climate is milder, if you can not even go to brokers, the objects sell with the argument: "And then you need no heating here!" At the latest in the first winter you hear from the customer: "I've never been so cold as here!". But it is also different here by area. The province of Cadiz, which also thought more environmentally conscious and their shores in the real estate boom not so obstructed because of the protected pine forests, which has long promoted solar energy. Portugal too has been ahead of Spain for years. We also look after a large urbanization with 270 apartments on the Costa del Sol, which was already so modern in the 70s and installed air-water heat pumps.
Today, d. H. For some years now, there has been a change in thinking - finally! And today, Spain is a leader in Europe with wind energy and large thermal solar power plants. Especially the young generation thinks differently than their fathers. Good for us, because our company is well utilized during the crisis and offers our Spanish employees safe jobs!
One problem, however, is that the major energy companies in Spain almost alone share this energy cake. Unfortunately, unlike in Germany, there is still no legal certainty and implementation of European guidelines for feeding into the grid of private photovoltaic or wind turbines. A lot should be done here in Madrid.

How expensive is it to convert his house to solar? How long does it take to get used to the cost?

This is a typical question that actually goes past the thing: is it all about the money? Is not it also about environmentally conscious responsibility? Of course, purely mathematically, it deters some residents of retirement age, if you have to say: in about 8 years, your solar system pays off after today's electricity price. But at present we are living in Spain with an almost half-yearly increase in electricity, so that we expect faster amortization. But now you save energy and live with a clearer conscience. Of course, there are also subsidies, but in the solar energy are less or abolished and in new buildings already reasonably prescribed especially for hot water by law.

Solar energy has been around for many years. I do not feel that it is particularly widespread. Do you think otherwise?

This is because direct solar energy is actually only economical for hot water. And even there you have to provide an additional source of energy for the dull and rainy days, just when you need it the most! Or it is also experimented with huge stores, but they are very expensive and not everywhere there is room for it. But as far as my concept is concerned, I prefer the warm air, which also comes from the sun, ie indirect solar energy, in the form of the air-water-heat pump. It always draws its energy from the ambient air here, which usually hardly goes below 5 degrees. These energy sources have been well developed today and today have a high standard. In Germany, the air-water heat pump has a bad image, because they can not achieve the efficiency as here in the low outside temperatures, of course. Everything raves about the extremely expensive and problematic geothermal energy with deep holes. However, the so-called silent cooling that works in Germany does not work here in summer due to the higher soil temperatures. If you want to offer someone geothermal energy in Mallorca with the help of deep drilling, you will be skeptical: why complicate life, if you can achieve the same efficiencies with the air-water heat pump in conjunction with my system of capillary tube + control and many detail optimizations how about geothermal energy in Germany?

What do you think, how many years it will take until alternative energies prevail?

Can not I say ahead at all. There are different mentalities: Germans, Austrians, Swiss, Dutch and Scandinavians are still my main customers. Hardly any Englishman, by the way, who must have a hardening gene, their fireplace is often enough, where they roast at the front and endure a cold wall in the back. They are on the beach here with us even in January with bare feet in sandals and spaghetti straps! Spaniards still hold the blistering air condition for the wisdom most modern conclusion and wonder about allergies in their children. As I said, the young generation of Spaniards is open-minded, fresh from the university with new knowledge, besieged by the way the corresponding stands at the big Climatización fair every other year in Madrid - but often has no money to implement their plans. All a simplistic view of course. In my experience, architects of the old school do not have much ambition to deviate from their traditional style and their well-established contacts. And so it is in this area that we Central Europeans, who must lead by example, invite Spaniards to us, so that they too say: "It is pleasant with you!".

We had a conversation with Dr.-Ing. Reinhard Hefele of EQUIDEAS S.L, Manilva. www.equideas.com. Tel. 952 893 054