British holidaymakers have been warned of new air con rules in Spain, which could leave them frying amid heat alerts.
A new law passed means that Spanish shops, offices and hospitality venues will no longer be able to set their cooling systems below 27C in the summer. It forms as part of a set of energy saving measures, which also bans people from raising their heating above 19C over the winter period Birmingham Live reports.
And tourists might want to consider the brand-new rules while traveling to the sunny European country, with blistering temperatures of 42C expected in certain areas.
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The Mirror reports that an orange weather warning has been raised in nine of Spain's provinces for 'intense heat' - which officials anticipate to last through to the middle of the week. The hottest temperatures are expected at the start of the week in the eastern region of Extremadura, which sits just above Seville.
Salamanca, Avila, Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Jaen and Ourense also issued the weather warnings along with Caceres and Badajoz which form Extremadura. Temperatures were not expected to dip below 39C in Extremadura on Monday.
The mercury was expected to top 40C in Salamanca, Avila and Ourense, according to forecasting. Andalusia, Madrid, the Basque Country and Aragon remained on a yellow warning, along with Catilla y Leon, Catalonia, Navarre and La Rioja.
Temperatures for much of the country are expecting to sit between 35C and 38C over the coming days and therefore fall under the yellow warning. While Catalonia and Valencia were expected to feel the force of thunderstorms.
Most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands are set to see temperatures soar above 35C, with Galicia to record 38C during the week. Throughout the central region and the capital down to the south and Mediterranean coast, there will be little reprieve during the nights, with temperatures staying at 35C.
Throughout the north and central parts of the country, thundery showers are expected through to Wednesday. Spain's state weather service said that it was not dismissing the idea that the temperatures would reach heatwave status.
A spokesperson said: "It cannot be ruled out that it will end up being classified as a heatwave, especially in the south-west of the peninsula, although it will not be as extraordinary as that of mid-July."
The warnings come just days after Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on workers to ditch their ties in an effort to save energy in the heat. The new measures include switching off store window lights after 10pm but street lighting will not be affected.
Shops will be obliged to keep doors closed and heating systems must be checked more often to increase efficiency under the new measures, Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera added. The government passed the bill as part of a bid to reduce the country’s gas consumption by 7 per cent.
This is in line with the recent European Union energy agreements to limit dependency on Russian gas. Ms Ribera said the measures would be maintained on an initial basis until November 2023.
Mr Sanchez announced the new package last week. He said: "You just need to walk into a shopping mall to realise that maybe the temperature is set too low."
Spanish public institutions already operate similar energy-saving regulations. The government says the measures will not only save energy but will also bring down bills for households and businesses.
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