The benefits of the use of natural gas in heating, cooking, hot water and air conditioning installations, both from a financial and environmental point of view, have made the introduction of natural gas in the national energy balance a state priority, as it:
increases primary energy sources to ensure the security of supply and reduce the dependence on oil in the long run;
substantially contributes towards environmental protection, considering both Greece’s international commitments concerning greenhouse gas emissions and local commitments (concerning acid rain, smog. etc.);
There are approximately 200,000 Public buildings in Greece and there is ample scope for streamlining their energy performance. According to existing studies, implementing energy savings measures could reduce annual energy costs by 25% and annual CO2 emissions by 450 thousand tons.
As a result, by issuing the Joint Ministerial Decision No Δ5-ΗΛ/Β/off.16954 (OGG, Series II, No 1343/26.09.2005), the Hellenic State decided, inter alia, to connect public sector buildings and buildings used by local authorities and state-supervised bodies to the natural gas network to use gas, instead of heating oil, for heating purposes.
Pursuant to the above Decision, the Services and Bodies whose buildings are located within an active city network, as well as others that wish to be included in future network expansions, have applied to be connected to the natural gas network and have their heating installations supplied with natural gas.
Therefore, till now, many Public Services have been among the consumers enjoying the benefits of the use of natural gas or are in the process of getting connected to the gas network.
