Transposition of EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Greece
(Article by Dr Maria Ioannou, Senior Associate and Sofia Getimi, Associate published in the Energy & Natural Resources Newsletter of the ILO on Feb 28, 2022)
On 20 October 2021, Law No. 4843/2021 was published in the Official Gazette. Among other things, the law:
- transposed Directive (EU) 2018/2002 amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency;
- adopted Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action; and
- adopted the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/826 of 4 March 2019 amending Annexes VIII and IX to Directive
- 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the contents of comprehensive assessments of the potential for
efficient heating and cooling.
The main objective of the law is to enhance energy efficiency and energy savings to promote renewable energy sources and to strengthen competition in the electricity market.
Regarding the promotion of energy efficiency, the law introduces several amendments to pre-existing Law 4342/2015 in an effort to better ensure that the country meets its 2030 headline targets on energy efficiency and further reduction of energy consumption. The law also paves the way for further energy efficiency improvements beyond those dates. The indicative Greek contribution of energy efficiency for the achievement of the European Union targets for 2030 is set at 16.5 million tons of oil equivalent of final energy consumption.
The new law beefs up the incentives for the promotion of energy efficient, public and private, infrastructure.
More specifically, the law specifies and enhances the exemplary role that public bodies’ buildings should play in terms of energy efficiency. It provides that:
- 3% of the total floor area of buildings owned and occupied by central government shall be renovated each year to meet at least the minimum energy performance requirements;
- buildings that were rented or purchased by public bodies before 1 January 2020 shall have an energy class of at least B; and
- buildings that are rented and purchased by public bodies before 1 January 2026 shall have an energy consumption of nearly zero.
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