We urge the Greek state to promptly adopt adequate measures and establish the necessary framework for increasing energy efficiency in all sectors, including our homes, saving millions of euros by saving energy.
Investment in energy efficiency also entails the creation of thousands of employment opportunities. In the building sector alone it can create 240,000 new jobs.
Ample scope for improvement
Final energy consumption showed an annual increase of 2.4% during 1990–2007 (regarding electricity in particular, the increase reached 4%) with the transport and building sectors contributing the largest shares. The decrease that followed was due to the consequences of the economic crisis and not the implementation of energy efficiency measures.
The residential and tertiary sectors consume roughly 1/3 of total energy and consequently account for a very large share of CO2 emissions (more than 43%). This consumption includes mainly space heating and cooling as well as water heating in households and public and commercial buildings. The aforementioned data demonstrates that there is ample scope for improvement regarding the energy efficiency of buildings if proper measures are implemented.
What you can do
If all Greeks were to switch off their appliances, we would save enough energy to cover the needs of one large island of the Aegean, such as Chios or Samos, for free every year.
This is just one example of how small changes in our daily life can cumulatively yield significant results. One can start with the basics and move on from there step by step.
© M. Binihakis / WWF Greece
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