IMPRESSIVE ENERGY SAVINGS FROM THE UPGRADE OF THE BUILDINGS
The percentages reach up to 95%, according to the RIS data
Impressive percentages of energy savings that reach up to 95% are provided by the households that are part of the “Save” program, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, reports APE-MPE. As the prices of electricity, heating oil and natural gas reach historically high levels, the value of energy savings increases accordingly while at the same time the repayment period of the relevant investments is drastically reduced.
In particular, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Environment and Energy regarding the houses that were included in the previous cycles of “I save”:
-Houses that before the interventions were included in the (lower) energy efficiency category H and then upgraded to the highest (A +), reduced energy consumption by 87-95%. Specifically, the houses of this category that were included in the Home Savings 1 reduced the annual energy consumption from 524.92 kilowatt hours per square meter, to 33.84. In Saving at Home 2 the consumption was reduced from 580.47 to 28.04 kilowatt hours per sq.m. and in Home Savings 2b fell from 720.1 to 93.9 kwh / sq.m.
-And in less extreme examples, e.g. Residential buildings that were in energy category D and upgraded to category B achieved a reduction in consumption of 50%.
Indicative of the margins for improvement that exist for the building potential of the country, is the fact that during the period 2011-2019, the largest percentage of residential buildings (66.66%) is classified in the energy category E-H. The most energy consuming residential buildings are the detached houses (415.19 kWh / m2), while the buildings of the apartment buildings have an average annual consumption of primary energy equal to 264.63 kWh / m2. The average apartment building consumes 174.44 kilowatt hours per square meter per year for heating, 32.34 kwh / sq.m. for cooling and 55.49 kwh / sq.m. for hot water production. According to the analysis of data from the energy inspections of the period 2011 – 2019, oil participates on average at a rate of 51.38% in the energy balance of residential buildings, while electricity by 33.70%.
Speaking at a conference of the International Union of Property Owners (UIPI) held in Athens, ND MEP Maria Spyraki pointed out that “Save” programs are useful but not sufficient to achieve the new more ambitious goals set by the EU as to save energy in buildings. He said the creation of special purpose vehicles at the local government level is needed, while the establishment of energy communities to tackle energy poverty facilitates the absorption of funds for low-income citizens who are unable to renovate their buildings.
The main concern of landlords, as expressed by the president of UIPI and the Panhellenic Federation of Property Owners Stratos Paradia, is that the introduction of mandatory minimum energy efficiency, especially in rental housing (as provided by the current EU proposal), without measures to strengthen it will have no real effect, even if combined with the imposition of bans (eg lease or sale) and fines. “The regulatory measures, he added, are unfair and anti-social in case they impose obligations which are not feasible to be implemented, and will not be implemented in the end. The persistence in their violent application will lead to the depletion of the value of the older buildings and to major social problems, to the detriment of their owners “.