Winter climate

Many Spanish properties are of single skin construction with little insulation or heating and no damp proof course and is why it can feel a lot colder in winter than the temperatures suggest and holiday homes suffer more as they are closed up for months on end with no airflow or heating.
If you are looking to live full-time here it is definitely something to consider and underfloor heating is not the only heating available, in fact because most floors are tiled, they would all have to be dug up or used as a base to be latexed and the heating laid over this, raising the floor level. Depending on the size of the property, air-conditioning would probably be best as it is dual purpose.
Once the sun has been up a few hours most days are sunny and beautiful but the temperatures drop the minute it goes down again. Now and again it will rain like you have never seen before which causes localized flash flooding. It will all have disappeared within a day or two and I don't know if Oliva is particularly badly affected.
The Costa Blanca as a whole has been declared one of, if not the healthiest place in the world to live climate wise but if you are living with just one open fire, it won't feel it!

Some good advice from Cheryl.

I live quite near Pedreguer and not too far from Oliva. Damp, no, but when it rains, yes! Pedreguer is banked by hills and Urb Monte Pedreguer is in the hills and many properties don't get adequate sunshine.

Living here, you get a little surprise the first couple of years at how cool the winter temperatures can be but "winter" is relatively short. Oct/Nov/Dec are glorious months. Jan/Feb/Mar and very early April can be quite cold at times, you could get 20° easily in the middle of the day then a drop to 7 at night, and it's this big drop that makes us feel cold. Because 7 here can "feel like" 2 in the UK!

Use a compass (seriously) and make sure any property you consider has a south or southwest orientation as this will ensure you get the warm PM sun. If you buy a property that doesn't get enough sun you might regret it, no matter how much you fell in love with it when you saw it.

You get savvy about how best to keep your property warm in winter and cool in summer. For winter, underfloor heating is not a necessity at all. I would describe it as a luxury. The tiles do get very cold but good rugs and good insulation strips on all doors and windows will help to retain the heat that you're generating, whether it be from aircon units, oil filled radiators, wood burner or combination of any of the above.

The climate is great, but be ready for more fluctuating temperatures than the UK. 

good luck, Steve

Hi Deb

Only the Ministry of Pensions thinks Spain is hot and dry in winter and has stopped our winter fuel allowance accordingly. Yes it can be damp and cold in winter from early November until late April or even May.  We are about 300m above sea level and you should count 1degree C less for each 100m. January temperatures are often about 8-11 but if it's sunny it will be nice on your naya or terrace. The worst times are low temperatures and periods (sometimes long) of grey or even rainy weather. 

In terms of property, I would avoid old town or village houses like the plague - no damp proof course, dark inside and almost impossible to resell. Most buyers have got wise to that though in the 2005 period they were popular. We know a couple who bought in an inland village for about €200,000 at that time but today they would be lucky to get €40,000

Better to rent initially and see if you like the area. Try to rent the kind of house you hope to buy. A terrace house built in the last 20 years will be warmer inside especially if it has hot and cold aircon. As a terrace you benefit from the neighbours' warmth!

As a footnote we have such a house in Els Poblets (near Denia and beaches) to sell. 3 beds and 2 bathrooms in a complex with pool and garage. Drop me a private message if interested. A.P.

Except the Canary Islands, the mildest winter temperatures are to be found south of Torrevieja to way down Mojacar. I live in Murcia (flat) and have absolutely zero heating costs.

This is right. Of course the further south you go the better the temperatures. Even the Torrevieja area is warmer than up our way near Denia. Up in Tarragona frost is not unknown. A.P.

Thanks to everyone that has given advice on this post. It’s all interesting info to bear in mind    . There’s more to buying a property in a country that needs to cool itself down than one that tries to keep itself warm!