At Port Plaza Apartments we are committed to sustainable tourism and caring for the environment. Our objective is to participate in the preservation of our environment and the sociocultural life in our surroundings.
That is why we have rehabilitated and manage our complex sustainably. We have implemented a protocol of good environmental, social and cultural practices that also involve our guests, employees and suppliers.
We are the only building in Tarragona with the BREEAM ® ES certification. That and our reduced carbon footprint(with CO2 emissions of just 2kg/m2 per m2 per year) and Type A energy certification are just some of the actions that back up our commitment.
UNIQUE APARTMENT BUILDING IN TARRAGONA WITH THE BREEAM®ES CERTIFICATE
Port Plaza Apartments belong to the Grupo Blaumar, a brand that encompasses a real estate and property management group committed to the restoration and sustainable management of its assets.
In the project to refurbish this apartment complex in Tarragona, the company took on the challenge of restoring and converting a nineteenth-century listed building, adapting it to the present-day using efficient systems to reduce CO2 emissions to an annual limit certifiable with an A rating. Therefore, in the reform and refurbishment of the building we applied the requirements of BREEAM DWELLING certificate, achieving a classification in the “Very Good” category.
This means we took into account measures designed to provide our guests with comfortable, safe and sustainable accommodation.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS INTRODUCED WITH THE REHABILITATION OF THE BUILDING:
1. ENERGY
Hot Water Installation
The building’s hot water is heated using solar energy and an aerothermal heat pump.
An aerothermal system heats water by absorbing free energy from the outside air and releasing it as hot air inside the building by means of a heat pump.
With these installations we have achieved hot water production with an A+ rating.
The building also has a solar heating system that captures the heat from the sun via photovoltaic panels and uses it to heat the water. This system provides 33% of the energy needed to produce the hot water used in the building.
The efficiency of this installation does not mean the energy is 100% free as it needs power from the electricity network, which involves generating CO2 emissions. For this reason it is necessary to take the following guidelines into account:
• Do not turn on the hot water taps if it is not necessary. Make rational use of water
• Do not wash dishes with the hot water tap running
Air Conditioning Installation
The Port Plaza Apartments building has a DAIKIN air conditioning installation with a reversible heat pump (air/air) system that provides maximum energy efficiency.
The air velocity of the air conditioning has also been adapted to the comfort settings provided for in the UNE-EN ISO 7730 Standard for the Ergonomics of the Thermal Environment and the air is propelled so as to reach a height 1.5 metres from the floor (occupied area) at a rate of between 0.25 and 0.35 m/s.
With the aim of improving energy efficiency, the system’s units can be managed and monitored by remote control, making it possible to ensure that energy use is within the planned limits and to detect the origin of any wastage.
For the most efficient use of the system, please follow these guidelines:
• Maintain the comfort temperature of between 20 and 23 degrees in winter and 24 and 28 degrees in summer
• Close the windows to avoid energy loss and to allow the installation to work at maximum efficiency
• Do not cover the air conditioning grille
• Switch everything off when you leave the apartment
Air ventilation system
Port Plaza Apartments also has an air renewal and purification system that reduces the concentration of CO2 and filters the air without the need to open the windows. The system functions 24 hours a day and renews all the air in the building every 8 hours, in other words three times a day. The system is able to work autonomously and increase or reduce the speed at which it operates in accordance with the information it receives from a probe that analyses the air quality.
To allow the system to work as efficiently as possible, please note the following:
• Do not leave the windows open any longer than necessary. It is not necessary to open the windows to ventilate the apartment
• The air renewal system does not eliminate unwanted smells or smoke from cooking. Use the extractor hood for that purpose.
Lighting and energy efficiency systems
The apartments in Port Plaza Apartments have a switch that allows you to disconnect the air conditioning, heating, lighting, hob and oven. This is useful to avoid leaving anything switched on when you leave the apartment, as well as to turn everything back on again, just as you left it, when you return.
All the lights in both the apartments and the communal areas are LED. All the communal areas have motion detectors that activate the lighting only when necessary.
The exterior lights on the balcony/terraces have sensors that mean they cannot be left on during the day.
Only warm lighting has been chosen for use in Port Plaza Apartments, specifically of 27000 Kelvin. What does this figure mean and why have we chosen it? Warm light gives a soft, subdued hue that is specially designed for rest and relaxation. The warmer the light, the better the segregation of melatonin, the sleep hormone. That’s why the rooms in Port Plaza Apartments are designed for your relaxation and wellbeing.
For efficient use, please note the following:
• Take advantage of the natural daylight
• When you leave your apartment, remember to switch everything off
Photovoltaic energy installation. Electricity and self-consumption
The Port Plaza Apartments building has photovoltaic solar energy system that converts the sun’s radiation into electricity. The electricity generated is used immediately in the building. Any surplus production is fed into the network without any type of remuneration.
The energy produced by these photovoltaic panels plus the energy obtained from the aforementioned solar heat installation is more than 100% of the building’s energy needs, thus exceeding by 60% the requirements of the ecoefficiency standard.
Efficient household appliances
The household appliances installed have an A+ energy efficiency rating.
• Refrigerator: 226 Kwh per year
• Dishwasher: 11.5 litres per use
• Washing machine MIELE WWE660LW (laundry room)
• Tumble dryer MIELE TDD 220WP (laundry room)
For their most efficient use, please note the following:
• Turn off any appliance you have in standby mode as this also consumes power
• Only use the washing machine and dishwasher when they are completely full
• Use the lowest possible temperatures for washing
• Avoid fast programmes, as they use more energy to do everything in less time
• Only use the washing machine’s prewash setting when the clothes are very dirty
• Use the correct amount of detergent in the washing machine, as it will keep washing until it detects that there is no soap left
• Open the refrigerator only when necessary. The more often you open it, the more frost it will accumulate and energy consumption will increase by as much as 30%
• When using vitroceramic or induction hobs, turn the hob off five minutes before the cooking is finished and always keep it clean
• Choose the correct hob for the size of the pot or pan you are cooking with
2. WATER CONSUMPTION
In Port Plaza Apartments we have installed flow limiters in the taps to ensure a maximum flow of 6 litres per minute in the washbasins and kitchen sinks and 9 litres per minute in the showers. This flow reduction means a saving of 3 litres per minute in the kitchen sink and the shower.
The apartments have remote controlled meters that measure water consumption in real time and can intervene if the system detects excessive use due to a leak or a tap being left running.
For the most efficient use, please note the following:
• Use the ECO programmes on the washing machine and dishwasher
• Make sure that taps are not dripping or have been left running
3. RECYCLING AND WASTE
Each Tarragona resident generates and average of 1.5 kg of waste every day. The Tarragona City Council has a municipal waste management plan aimed at reducing the amount of waste and improving selective recycling.
Opposite Port Plaza Apartments you will find a series of containers for recycling:
• Brown container for organic waste (food, used kitchen paper, dry plants, coffee grinds, sawdust). THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: nappies, pet excrement
• Yellow container for packaging: bottles, clingfilm, tins, Tetra Paks, food trays, clingfilm, aluminium foil. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: plastic objects such as toys, CDs, toothbrushes, chairs, plant pots.
• Blue container for paper and cardboard. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: Tetra Paks.
• Green container for glass bottles and jars. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: glasses, cups, plates, window glass, mirrors.
• Grey container for other rubbish: nappies, sanitary pads, ashes, cigarette ends, sweepings, pet excrement, broken pottery, toys, etc.
• Special waste: used cooking oil must never be poured down the kitchen sink, but kept in receptacles or taken to specific recycling points. At Port Plaza Apartments we can provide you with suitable receptacles on request.
The permitted time for depositing rubbish in the containers is 7 pm to 9.30 pm.
That is why we have rehabilitated and manage our complex sustainably. We have implemented a protocol of good environmental, social and cultural practices that also involve our guests, employees and suppliers.
We are the only building in Tarragona with the BREEAM ® ES certification. That and our reduced carbon footprint(with CO2 emissions of just 2kg/m2 per m2 per year) and Type A energy certification are just some of the actions that back up our commitment.
UNIQUE APARTMENT BUILDING IN TARRAGONA WITH THE BREEAM®ES CERTIFICATE
Port Plaza Apartments belong to the Grupo Blaumar, a brand that encompasses a real estate and property management group committed to the restoration and sustainable management of its assets.
In the project to refurbish this apartment complex in Tarragona, the company took on the challenge of restoring and converting a nineteenth-century listed building, adapting it to the present-day using efficient systems to reduce CO2 emissions to an annual limit certifiable with an A rating. Therefore, in the reform and refurbishment of the building we applied the requirements of BREEAM DWELLING certificate, achieving a classification in the “Very Good” category.
This means we took into account measures designed to provide our guests with comfortable, safe and sustainable accommodation.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS INTRODUCED WITH THE REHABILITATION OF THE BUILDING:
1. ENERGY
Hot Water Installation
The building’s hot water is heated using solar energy and an aerothermal heat pump.
An aerothermal system heats water by absorbing free energy from the outside air and releasing it as hot air inside the building by means of a heat pump.
With these installations we have achieved hot water production with an A+ rating.
The building also has a solar heating system that captures the heat from the sun via photovoltaic panels and uses it to heat the water. This system provides 33% of the energy needed to produce the hot water used in the building.
The efficiency of this installation does not mean the energy is 100% free as it needs power from the electricity network, which involves generating CO2 emissions. For this reason it is necessary to take the following guidelines into account:
• Do not turn on the hot water taps if it is not necessary. Make rational use of water
• Do not wash dishes with the hot water tap running
Air Conditioning Installation
The Port Plaza Apartments building has a DAIKIN air conditioning installation with a reversible heat pump (air/air) system that provides maximum energy efficiency.
The air velocity of the air conditioning has also been adapted to the comfort settings provided for in the UNE-EN ISO 7730 Standard for the Ergonomics of the Thermal Environment and the air is propelled so as to reach a height 1.5 metres from the floor (occupied area) at a rate of between 0.25 and 0.35 m/s.
With the aim of improving energy efficiency, the system’s units can be managed and monitored by remote control, making it possible to ensure that energy use is within the planned limits and to detect the origin of any wastage.
For the most efficient use of the system, please follow these guidelines:
• Maintain the comfort temperature of between 20 and 23 degrees in winter and 24 and 28 degrees in summer
• Close the windows to avoid energy loss and to allow the installation to work at maximum efficiency
• Do not cover the air conditioning grille
• Switch everything off when you leave the apartment
Air ventilation system
Port Plaza Apartments also has an air renewal and purification system that reduces the concentration of CO2 and filters the air without the need to open the windows. The system functions 24 hours a day and renews all the air in the building every 8 hours, in other words three times a day. The system is able to work autonomously and increase or reduce the speed at which it operates in accordance with the information it receives from a probe that analyses the air quality.
To allow the system to work as efficiently as possible, please note the following:
• Do not leave the windows open any longer than necessary. It is not necessary to open the windows to ventilate the apartment
• The air renewal system does not eliminate unwanted smells or smoke from cooking. Use the extractor hood for that purpose.
Lighting and energy efficiency systems
The apartments in Port Plaza Apartments have a switch that allows you to disconnect the air conditioning, heating, lighting, hob and oven. This is useful to avoid leaving anything switched on when you leave the apartment, as well as to turn everything back on again, just as you left it, when you return.
All the lights in both the apartments and the communal areas are LED. All the communal areas have motion detectors that activate the lighting only when necessary.
The exterior lights on the balcony/terraces have sensors that mean they cannot be left on during the day.
Only warm lighting has been chosen for use in Port Plaza Apartments, specifically of 27000 Kelvin. What does this figure mean and why have we chosen it? Warm light gives a soft, subdued hue that is specially designed for rest and relaxation. The warmer the light, the better the segregation of melatonin, the sleep hormone. That’s why the rooms in Port Plaza Apartments are designed for your relaxation and wellbeing.
For efficient use, please note the following:
• Take advantage of the natural daylight
• When you leave your apartment, remember to switch everything off
Photovoltaic energy installation. Electricity and self-consumption
The Port Plaza Apartments building has photovoltaic solar energy system that converts the sun’s radiation into electricity. The electricity generated is used immediately in the building. Any surplus production is fed into the network without any type of remuneration.
The energy produced by these photovoltaic panels plus the energy obtained from the aforementioned solar heat installation is more than 100% of the building’s energy needs, thus exceeding by 60% the requirements of the ecoefficiency standard.
Efficient household appliances
The household appliances installed have an A+ energy efficiency rating.
• Refrigerator: 226 Kwh per year
• Dishwasher: 11.5 litres per use
• Washing machine MIELE WWE660LW (laundry room)
• Tumble dryer MIELE TDD 220WP (laundry room)
For their most efficient use, please note the following:
• Turn off any appliance you have in standby mode as this also consumes power
• Only use the washing machine and dishwasher when they are completely full
• Use the lowest possible temperatures for washing
• Avoid fast programmes, as they use more energy to do everything in less time
• Only use the washing machine’s prewash setting when the clothes are very dirty
• Use the correct amount of detergent in the washing machine, as it will keep washing until it detects that there is no soap left
• Open the refrigerator only when necessary. The more often you open it, the more frost it will accumulate and energy consumption will increase by as much as 30%
• When using vitroceramic or induction hobs, turn the hob off five minutes before the cooking is finished and always keep it clean
• Choose the correct hob for the size of the pot or pan you are cooking with
2. WATER CONSUMPTIONIn Port Plaza Apartments we have installed flow limiters in the taps to ensure a maximum flow of 6 litres per minute in the washbasins and kitchen sinks and 9 litres per minute in the showers. This flow reduction means a saving of 3 litres per minute in the kitchen sink and the shower.
The apartments have remote controlled meters that measure water consumption in real time and can intervene if the system detects excessive use due to a leak or a tap being left running.
For the most efficient use, please note the following:
• Use the ECO programmes on the washing machine and dishwasher
• Make sure that taps are not dripping or have been left running
3. RECYCLING AND WASTE
Each Tarragona resident generates and average of 1.5 kg of waste every day. The Tarragona City Council has a municipal waste management plan aimed at reducing the amount of waste and improving selective recycling.
Opposite Port Plaza Apartments you will find a series of containers for recycling:
• Brown container for organic waste (food, used kitchen paper, dry plants, coffee grinds, sawdust). THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: nappies, pet excrement
• Yellow container for packaging: bottles, clingfilm, tins, Tetra Paks, food trays, clingfilm, aluminium foil. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: plastic objects such as toys, CDs, toothbrushes, chairs, plant pots.
• Blue container for paper and cardboard. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: Tetra Paks.
• Green container for glass bottles and jars. THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THIS CONTAINER: glasses, cups, plates, window glass, mirrors.
• Grey container for other rubbish: nappies, sanitary pads, ashes, cigarette ends, sweepings, pet excrement, broken pottery, toys, etc.
• Special waste: used cooking oil must never be poured down the kitchen sink, but kept in receptacles or taken to specific recycling points. At Port Plaza Apartments we can provide you with suitable receptacles on request.
The permitted time for depositing rubbish in the containers is 7 pm to 9.30 pm.