Residential owners can maximize energy savings certificates via heat pump multipliers

The Directorate General for Energy Planning and Coordination has issued a resolution (BOE-A-2026-23367) establishing correction coefficients with a multiplier factor for residential building improvements involving the replacement of boilers with electric-driven hydronic heat pumps. This measure aims to accelerate the electrification of the residential sector by increasing the value of Energy Savings Certificates (CAE) generated by these specific technological transitions.

What changes

The resolution introduces a mechanism to boost the economic incentive of energy efficiency projects. Instead of certifying only the real energy savings achieved, the system will apply a multiplier coefficient to the certified savings, thereby increasing the volume of certificates available for use within the national energy efficiency obligation system (Primero.a).

Key technical and regulatory changes include:

• Scope of technology: The multiplier applies to the replacement of fossil fuel combustion boilers with hydronic heat pumps (where the secondary circuit is water or water-based) or the hybridization of existing boilers with hydronic heat pumps (Primero.b and Primero.c).
• Application limit: To maintain market stability, the maximum limit for CAEs with a multiplier coefficient accepted during 2027 is capped at 15% of the maximum obligation of the obligated parties from 2026, which corresponds to 1,286,876,082 kWh (Primero.d).
• Priority rules: The application of the multiplier follows a temporal priority based on the date the CAE issuance request is resolved. If multiple requests are resolved on the same date, the date of the certification request will determine the order (Primero.e).
• Exclusivity: The multiplier can only be requested once per energy efficiency action. Requests for CAE issuance already favorably resolved since the publication of Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 cannot be resubmitted (Primero.f).

Context

This resolution is part of a broader strategic framework to drive the energy transition and combat energy poverty. It is rooted in Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, of March 20, which approved the Comprehensive Response Plan to the Middle East Crisis. Article 9 of said Decree-Law specifically mandates a plan to boost heat pump usage through the CAE system by approving correction coefficients (Primero).

The regulatory context reflects a massive scaling of the CAE system. While only 3,800 actions were recorded in 2024, this figure rose to 17,000 in 2025, with projections exceeding 50,000 actions in 2026. By introducing these multipliers, the administration seeks to improve the return on investment in the residential sector, which has historically shown lower returns compared to other industrial or commercial sectors.

Who is affected and how

The impact of this resolution is strictly limited to the residential sector, meaning it does not apply to SMEs (pymes) or freelancers (autónomos) operating in industrial or commercial capacities (Primero).

Individual Homeowners (Particulares)

Individual residents can significantly increase the value of their energy efficiency investments. To qualify, the installation must be a replacement of a fossil fuel boiler with an electric hydronic heat pump. The action must have been initiated between March 22, 2026, and November 30, 2027 (Primero.g and Sexto). The deadline to submit the CAE application including the multiplier request is December 31, 2027 (Séptimo).

Homeowners' Associations (Comunidades de Propietarios)

Communities of owners receive more favorable terms regarding deadlines. While the installation period remains similar, the validity for actions carried out by communities extends until December 31, 2027 (Sexto). Furthermore, these entities have a longer window to process their paperwork, with a deadline to submit CAE applications including the multiplier coefficient until February 28, 2028 (Séptimo).

What to do and when

To benefit from these increased coefficients, affected parties must adhere to the following administrative calendar established by the resolution:

• Action Commencement: Ensure the installation or replacement work begins no earlier than March 22, 2026. For individuals, the work must be completed/initiated by November 30, 2027; for communities, by December 31, 2027 (Sexto).
• Application Submission: Submit the CAE issuance request through the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge electronic platform. Applications including the multiplier request can be filed starting January 15, 2027 (Séptimo).
• Final Deadlines: Individual homeowners must complete their requests by December 31, 2027. Homeowners' associations have until February 28, 2028, to submit their files (Séptimo).

All applications must use the specific technical sheets (fichas) enabled for this purpose and include all necessary documentation to prove compliance with the conditions (Séptimo). For specific guidance on the technical requirements of these certificates, we recommend consulting with the relevant experts at BMC.