A “freeze” of new recruitments and of participation in mobility programmes is among the penalties being considered by the government for public organisations that fail to implement basic energy-saving measures. It is also planning incentives for citizens who achieve energy savings, according to statements made by Interior Minister Makis Voridis and Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas during a press conference on Wednesday to present energy-saving measures adopted in the state sector.
Voridis underlined that the energy-saving measures that must be implemented have already been outlined in a ministerial decision issued in July and include elementary actions, such as the appointment of an energy manager for each building, the maintenance of the cooling/heating systems, switching off lights and devices when they are not in use and using natural ventilation of the building etc.
Skrekas pointed out that the state allocated over 8 billion euros to support households and businesses in the last year, while with the profit recovery mechanism of electricity producers that was implemented in July, over 1.5 billion euros have been secured for subsidising consumers. He added that in the next period there will be a communications campaign and specific recommendations for energy conservation in households, while programmes giving financial incentives that will be combined with the reduction of consumption in households and possibly also in businesses are being considered.
Referring to the upcoming Council of Energy Ministers on Friday, where measures to de-escalate the effects of the energy crisis will be discussed, he noted that Greece will ask the EU to take brave decisions that will respond to the crisis. “Europe has delayed, we have passed the zero point, any further delay is unthinkable. The Greek proposals are at the forefront of the agenda. The committee’s proposals also include the versions of the Greek mechanism for recovering excess revenues from electricity producers that has already been adopted by Germany as announced by Chancellor Scholz,” he said.
The aim of the interventions is to reduce consumption by 10%, he said adding, however, that there is a possibility that the EU will decide on a mandatory reduction of natural gas consumption by 15%.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
