It appears that every record in the current program was broken today by the Western Greece in the program Save – Become Self-Sufficient, whose platform shut down today just 16 minutes (according to the ministry, but fewer than 15, according to engineers) after it opened, leaving thousands stranded once again applyas they were outside the system, since within a few minutes the 51.4 million euros that had been budgeted for the Attica.
He was the first to bring the issue to light Vasilis Aivalis, President of the Technical Chamber of Western Greece in a social media post addressed to the Minister of the Environment, Kostis Charzidakis:
«Mr. Minister, the funds ran out in less than 15 minutes 57.000.000 € of the “Save-Become Self-Sufficient” program in Western Greece!!!! Let’s see what we’ll hear today… did everything go well;;;
What we're going through is simply unbelievable!!! Don't you realize that you're insulting us as engineers?????;
»And since it seems you don't understand when things are said, maybe the central TEE should take action;;? Does no one there even listen;;;;" he wrote pointedly.
According to Ministry of Environment In any case, the platform closed at 10:16, and a total of 7,985 applications, of which 2,356 were approved, thereby committing the amount that had been budgeted for the Region (51.4 million euros). The average grant per approved application is approximately 21,800 euros.
Although the ministry’s announcement made no mention of any problems with the process, there have been numerous complaints from dozens of engineers, who were unable to successfully submit even a single application through the system, with many of them claiming that those based in western Greece faced the most significant problems.
They reiterate their request that the platform remain open for a period of time so that the remaining applications can be recorded as alternates in the program or so that some of them can be processed, provided that the beneficiaries do not use the entire amount—as is the case in many instances—so that they do not have to, as they put it, “pull a fast one.”.
In fact, they emphasize that the announcement of the new program «Save – Become Self-Sufficient»Within the first half of 2021, with a budget of around 900 million euros as announced by the Minister of the Environment, Kostis Hatzidakis, will not solve the problem if the same model is followed.
The complaints, however, are not limited to Western Greece, but extend to all the regions where the platform has been launched so far—and, of course, to Attica.
He refers to the failure of the new «Exoikonomo» program in «ethnos.gr» and Michalis Kalogiannakis, president of the Panhellenic Association of Certified Agricultural and Surveying Engineers noting that, so far, approximately 50% of the applicants do not appear to be eligible for the program.
Among the main reasons for the failure, he considers it crucial that the speed criterion was not changed: «In Attica, the following were approved 8,700 applications, when processing had begun in the first 5 minutes 10,000 applications. It may have been announced that the funds ran out in 51 minutes, but this is due exclusively to the system malfunction. ». If it had been running nonstop today, the news would be that the funds ran out in 10 minutes," he says.
Mr. Kalogiannakis reiterates the proposal put forward by the majority of engineers regarding the need to keep the program open on an ongoing basis, so that more property owners can take advantage of it and make it more equitable. At the same time, he emphasizes that the number of applications being approved is significantly lower than expected:
«While this year's budget has tripled, it appears that applications will increase by only 60%. A prime example is the Attica region, where 5,500 applications were approved in the previous program and only 8,700 this year. Proportionally, at least twice as many applications should have been submitted, given the increase in the subsidy rate.».
The president of the surveyors’ association points out that the Attica Region, which receives 18% of the total budget, despite the fact that 35% of the country’s population lives in this region, appears to be the program’s biggest loser.
«According to the ministry, there are 600,000 homes in Attica that need energy upgrades. This year, approximately 1% of them were approved. At this rate, it will take 100 years to upgrade them all. For this reason, the ministry’s plan must set higher targets and listen to the experts.».
The program's next … stop will be the The regions of Crete, the North Aegean, and the South Aegean next Monday, December 21, It remains to be seen how long the platform will remain open to accept applications.
