Energy upgrading of homes in the spotlight in the face of the difficult winter ahead

The energy crisis that has been affecting Europe for months and is expected to cause many difficulties in the coming winter has created the need to find ways to save energy.

One of the biggest problems in Greece is that a very large number of properties were built before the 1980s with completely different specifications, resulting in high heating and cooling losses, which has become extremely costly in the recent period due to rising energy prices internationally.

According to experts, well-timed interventions done in the right way are likely to reduce more than 30% the energy requirement of the house. As civil engineer Spyros Rizos explains to APPE-MPA, the percentage of reduction in the energy demand of a house that is subsequently reflected in energy bills has to do with the money one has available to invest in its energy shielding. Under energy pressure, there is already a lot of interest in home changes that can de-escalate bills even a little.

Starting from the simple to the complex, Mr. Rizos mentions what are the available interventions that can be done in one's home: installing thermostatic valves, changing conventional light bulbs with LED, installing a solar water heater, changing air conditioning units with more modern ones, installing external shading systems (pergolas, awnings, etc.), upgrading heating-cooling systems, installing thermal insulation systems, changing frames with thermal break frames and changing glass panes with energy-efficient ones. These interventions mainly concern older houses, since, as the civil engineer notes, «in a new house I don't need to suggest anything because the studies are such that they cover everything. Everything is designed with bioclimatic architecture, all materials are new and modern. That is, the interventions I mentioned are already present in the new houses. Especially in the houses of the last decade.».

These interventions in older homes if done in their entirety are likely to reduce the energy requirement of a home by up to 38% if done in their entirety. Mr Rizos stresses, however: «You won't see a 30-35% difference in the total bill, there will be a 30-35% reduction in the energy consumed in the home because fixed costs etc. have to be calculated,» he adds: «The works mentioned above have a cost of about 25-30,000 euros approximately. This is about the maximum rate subsidized by the ExoEconomy. The amortization for this money is after about five years, however all these works on a property that is pre-1980s will among other things increase its objective value, you give a goodwill. And with that alone you are doing the depreciation indirectly. So you are certainly raising its value.».

In addition, with the interventions that shield a house energy-wise, the heating becomes more efficient, i.e. it becomes warmer, something that is very difficult to achieve in old houses with decades-old frames, for example, even if one spends a lot of money.

Apart from these changes, however, there are some daily habits that you can do in order to see your energy bills reduced, even if only slightly. «For example, in the summer we can air the house in the evening hours when the temperature is lower, or we can avoid using appliances that generate heat in the midday hours, such as the electric iron or the stove. Or we can set the refrigerator to run, not on the maximum setting, but on the medium setting. Or some appliances that we want to turn off, the TV for example, or the computer, we can put them not in stand by mode but turn them off completely from on/off. Also at midday hours, use the shading systems and the indoor ones, that is, try to have the blinds closed as well because they keep the temperature lower inside the house. These are simple things that everyone knows, but no one is doing them and it would be nice if they did.».

The «ExoEconomy» programme»

In the face of the great interest in «green» house renovations in Greece, the Ministry of Environment recently announced that 47,433 runners-up are now eligible in principle.

Thus, the budget of «ExoEconomy 2021» increases by €591.7 million to a total of €1.2 billion (an increase of €941.3 billion). The total number of beneficiaries of the programme is now 87,578 households.

Those of the beneficiaries who have a completed electronic building ID card can start the energy upgrade interventions related to their participation rate in the Programme.

«ExoEconomy 2021» is the first building energy upgrade programme with a separate budget for vulnerable households. This support for the economically weakest is increased by €81.8 million and concerns 5,890 households. Thus, a total of 14,246 of our most vulnerable citizens are being supported with € 201.8 million.

Φ. Dulgeri