Heating a Cold Barcelona Flat: Heat Pump, Gas or Radiators

It is the first cold week of November, the flat is 15 degrees indoors and the only heating is a plug-in radiator someone left behind. Barcelona winters are short and mild on the forecast, but a flat without central heating still feels cold when you are working from the sofa in a coat. The plug-in electric heater is the easy fix, and in OCU's comparison it is the most expensive way to run a home. This guide compares what each way of heating a flat costs to run and to install, using named sources, and ends with the safety rules for portable heaters.

Are cold homes normal in Spain?

More than you would expect. Destatis, republishing Eurostat's 2025 survey, puts the share of people in Spain who could not keep their home adequately warm at 15.9 per cent, against an EU average of 8.8 per cent. ARA, working with the CORRECTIV.Europe network on Eurostat's 2023 figures, reported that 20.1 per cent of people in Catalonia could not afford adequate heating, up 4.2 points on 2021. The years differ, so do not compare them directly, but both say the same thing: a cold flat here is common, not a sign you are doing something wrong.

What is the cheapest way to heat a flat in Barcelona?

Running costs are where the options separate. OCU, the consumer organisation, compared yearly running costs for a 90 m² home, as reported by Xataka Home on 4 December 2023 and by Moncloa on 9 January 2024:

• Air-conditioning heat pump (a split unit that heats): about €241 a year.
• Aerotermia (an air-to-water heat pump feeding radiators): about €306 a year.
• Gas condensing boiler: about €308 a year.
• Pellet stove: about €559 to €560 a year, depending on the report.
• Electric radiators: about €1,174 a year.

Three caveats before you rely on these. Xataka says OCU's example is a home in climate zone D, a cold zone like Madrid, so Barcelona's milder winters should give lower totals, although I did not find an OCU figure for Barcelona. The figures use 2023 energy prices, so today's bills will differ. And I read them through news reports of the study, not the full OCU report. The ranking is more reliable than the totals: in OCU's example, electric radiators cost almost five times as much to run as a heat pump, and Moncloa notes that the air-conditioning heat pump becomes less effective in very cold climates.

What does each option cost to install?

Installed prices are less settled than running costs, and these are published ranges, not quotes:

• Split unit with a heat pump function: €600 to €1,650 for a single unit, from national and Barcelona price guides.
• Condensing gas boiler, replaced: €1,800 to €3,500. Habitissimo (updated September 2026) puts a standard replacement at about €1,800 and a condensing model up to about €3,500, while OCU's December 2023 press note put a 25 kW condensing boiler at about €2,250 installed. Xataka reports about €4,000 for a complete installation with radiators.
• Aerotermia: €6,000 to €21,000 for heating and hot water, according to one price guide whose own figures are inconsistent, so get three written quotes.

You can compare a quote against our heating and boiler price page or paste it into the cost checker. For the detail on each route, read our guides to servicing a gas boiler and to aerotermia in a flat.

What if you rent and cannot change anything?

Ask your landlord in writing before you fix anything to a wall or put a unit outside. An owner needs community approval to place an outdoor unit on a shared facade, as our air conditioning installation guide explains, and a tenant needs the landlord on side as well. A portable electric heater is the one option that needs no permission, but OCU's electric radiator figure is for heating a whole home and shows how costly that route is. Use a portable heater in the one room you actually sit in, and close the door.

How do you stay safe with portable heaters?

Carbon monoxide forms when a fuel does not burn completely, and you cannot see, smell or taste it. Selectra's guide, which attributes its general advice to Protecció Civil de Catalunya, says symptoms can look like flu, and the Murcia regional health department lists headache, dizziness, nausea, chest pain and confusion. That Murcia advice dates from 2017 and is regional, but the physics has not changed. It says to avoid:

• Braziers (braseros) in any enclosed space.
• Gas ovens or hobs used to heat a home.
• Charcoal grills and camping stoves indoors.
• Torch-type heaters indoors, which are for open areas only.

Selectra says Spain has no general legal requirement to own a carbon monoxide detector, but emergency services recommend one if you have a boiler, water heater, gas hob, fireplace or brazier, placed near the appliance and near bedrooms. If you think someone is affected, get into fresh air and call 112, the emergency number in Spain.

What should you ask before you hire an installer?

• Is the quote itemised, with the unit, labour, VAT, removal of the old equipment and any electrical work shown separately?
• Does the installer hold the certification the work needs, and will you receive the paperwork in a language you can read?
• For a heat pump, has the outdoor unit's position been checked against the building's rules?
• What is the running cost you should expect, and what assumptions is that based on?
• What warranty comes with the equipment, and who services it?

Looking for an English-speaking heating or air conditioning installer in Barcelona? Browse by area: All of Barcelona, or by area: Eixample, Poblenou, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Les Corts, Diagonal Mar & Vila Olímpica, Gràcia, El Born & Barri Gòtic and Sants.

Some businesses named in our directory install or service heating, and a listing is not a ranking or an endorsement. Every figure below comes from a named source, not from a listed business. This guide is general information, not advice for your home, so ask a qualified installer to assess the property.