News

Publication date: 20 April 2017

Τhe Ministry of Environment and Energy of Greece has officially published the Regulation for the operation of Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (National Gazette 1242Β/11-4-2017), in accordance with the stipulations of the Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU), a development considered important for the energy efficiency sector.
Under this regime, energy distributors and/or retail energy sales companies are obliged to achieve a cumulative end-use energy savings target by 2020, in order to contribute to the achievement of national energy efficiency targets, with the added benefits of reduced energy cost, promotion of energy services and Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), support of low-income households and environmental protection.
Both the obligated parties and their energy efficiency targets, will be established each year, according to statistical data of energy sales. The obligated parties include electricity, oil and natural gas providers. The fulfilment of the targets can be achieved with the implementation of energy efficiency measures either by the obligated parties or by third parties, on residential buildings, tertiary sector and industry buildings and infrastructure, as well as on vehicles. The measures include actions for the improvement of users’ behaviour and technical interventions, such as insulation, higher efficiency equipment etc.
Obligation schemes are considered among the most effective tools for the achievement of energy efficiency, as they are expected to achieve 40% of the total energy saving target, according to European Union’s estimations.
The Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme is expected to boost the energy services market, since, under its context, each obligated party may implement energy efficiency actions by itself or outsource them to EPC providers.