The MOU was signed for the measures to improve energy efficiency and save energy in buildings and facilities of public sector entities, otherwise known as the “Thermostat” Plan.
By Joint Ministerial Decision (KYA – Official Gazette B3424/2-7-2022) the measures for improving energy efficiency and energy saving in buildings and facilities of its bodies public sectorwhich fall within its wider context “Thermostat” design.
The decision bears the signatures of the Ministers of Environment and Energy Kostas Skrekas, Interior Maki Voridis and State and Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, as well as the Deputy Minister of Finance Theodoros Skylakakis, and follows the announcements of June 9, when the energy saving plan was presented in public.
The target for public bodies, regarding the reduction of electricity consumption, is set to at least 10%, in relation to the consumption of the same period of time in 2019, for the first year of implementation of the measures. For the following years the goal will be redefined.
In particular, with regard to direct energy saving measures, they include the following initiatives:
Maintenance of heating and cooling systems including air conditioning units at least once a year. Especially for the current year, preventive maintenance for cooling systems must be completed by 31.7.2022 and for heating systems by 31.10.2022.
Determination of internal temperature (maximum/minimum) in both heated/air-conditioned and non-heated buildings based on the specifications of the ELOT standard EN 15251:2007. The internal temperature of public office buildings and the wider public sector is maintained at 27°C during the summer and 19°C during the winter.
Deactivation of cooling/heating in areas and times when there are no employees. Deactivation of office equipment in areas and hours when there are no employees. Use of night ventilation of buildings, where possible. Shading of the building to improve its energy performance, if this is not reduces the natural lighting of the interior spaces to an intolerable level.
Reduction of energy consumption by at least 10%, indicatively through optimizing the scheduling of street lighting and streamlining decorative/decorative lighting. Actions to improve the energy efficiency of pumping stations (e.g. installation of inverters).
At the same time, medium-term measures are being launched, which concern upgrading the existing lighting systems, using energy-efficient lamps, planting roofs – as long as it is technically and economically feasible, heat recovery devices from boiler exhaust gases and heat recovery devices from the waste air of of air-conditioned spaces, installation of a constant temperature analog control system in central air-conditioning units, insulation of heating system piping, installation of smart meters, etc. In order to monitor the implementation of the measures in each public sector building and to collect and provide data, the relevant Minister, within seven working days of the publication of the decision, appoints an energy infrastructure/facilities manager, for the services of the Ministry and the supervised carriers of this.
The Minister may, by his decision, delegate the responsibility of appointing an energy infrastructure/installation manager for the Ministry’s supervised entities to the head of the entity or to the administrative body. For A’ and B’ OTAs, the person in charge of energy infrastructure/facilities is appointed by the relevant Mayor or Regional Governor, respectively, and is also responsible for the legal entities of the relevant OTA. For the Independent Authorities it is defined by the head of the Authority and for the Decentralized Administrations by the relevant coordinator.
The specialization of the actions and the overall annual goal into individual goals, per building and/or per electrified facility, is done by the managers of energy infrastructures/facilities.
They themselves designate the administratively responsible for the implementation of the measures. For all the facilities of each institution, one or more administrative officers are designated, who coordinate (for the buildings and/or facilities under their responsibility) actions such as: the time and financial planning of the necessary interventions to improve energy efficiency and energy saving, the actions for the proper operation of the central heating – cooling facilities and the periodic maintenance of boilers – burners and air conditioning units, etc.
The monitoring of the implementation of the above actions and the course of electricity consumption in order to achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption by at least 10%, is done through a special electronic application (publicenergysavings.gov.gr) created for this purpose.
The public bodies that effectively implement the measures – as can be seen from the data registered in the special application – may, by decision of the Minister of Finance, be granted a reward through a boost to their budget.
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