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The installation of smart electricity meters in homes will allow households to save money by adjusting their consumption to take advantage of the lower prices that will apply at certain times of the day, with the application of a flexible electricity tariff.
This was pointed out by the Minister of the Environment and Energy, Kostis Hatzidakis, speaking today at a RAE conference on energy poverty. The € 850 million smart cash installation program will be funded by the EU Recovery Fund, the minister said, adding that the problem has been “dragging on” for ten years. He stressed that planning is being done so as not to repeat past mistakes, delays or even cancellation of the program.
Referring to the government’s policy to combat energy poverty, Mr. Hatzidakis focused on the “Save – Autonomy” program, which is about to start, with a budget of 850 million euros. He pointed out that households that joined the “Save” programs in previous years reduced their energy consumption (electricity, oil, gas) by 2 billion kilowatt hours per year, a benefit that he said will multiply in the coming years as plans to renovate 60,000 homes per year.
He also referred to the recent decision to improve the framework to support vulnerable gas consumers, to strengthen the account for reconnection to the electricity grid, the subsidy programs for the replacement of oil burners with natural gas (applied in Attica, followed by Tesalia and the extension in more areas), the subsidy for heating oil by the Ministry of Finance that was extended this year to natural gas, the special tariffs (CTO, etc.), the new framework for the supply service universal, etc.
The rector of the NTUA, Professor A. Boudouvis, highlighted that 50 million homes in Europe live in conditions of energy poverty and pointed out that the pandemic brought their buildings and weaknesses to the forefront by making housing the focus of daily activity, converted into office, school, kindergarten, shopping mall, etc.
RAE President Associate Professor Athanasios Dagoumas noted that research data shows that with small changes in behavior consumers can achieve significant energy savings (5-10%).
