One in ten people in Europe are cold in their homes in winter. In Greece, the percentage is double: two in ten. Across Europe, western Greece ranks as the region with the coldest homes.
Konstantina, 30, has been living and working in Patras (in the Peloponnese) for the past five years. She recently had to move to another apartment because, as she says, the previous one was “extremely cold in winter and extremely hot in summer.”
The apartment was located in the center of Patras, a 45-square meter penthouse at the top of a six-story apartment building, built in the 1970s. The building residents were mainly families and the elderly. But the apartment building had not had central heating for years.
To heat her apartment, Konstantina used an air conditioner and small electric heaters. Although the apartment was small, it was almost impossible to keep it warm. On days when it was very cold, she was forced to leave and stay with friends.
There were many days when she’d wake up with headaches, and in order to go to work in the morning she would need to dry her clothes, which were damp from the humidity. Since finding a place with central heating was almost impossible, Konstantina looked for an apartment that was at least not as exposed to the weather, and therefore had less heat loss.
“It’s an issue we talk about amongst ourselves. That we’re in our thirties and we can’t even afford to live in a house with heat,” she tells Solomon.
Konstantina’s case is no exception, as revealed by Solomon’s new investigation in collaboration with the European journalism network CORRECTIV.Europe.
According to data analysis by the European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat, since 2021 the percentage of people unable to heat their homes during winter has been increasing in almost all European countries.
Specifically, the investigation shows that:
“Many studies show that energy poverty is associated with serious health impacts, and is associated with respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia,” Dr Ilias Kyriopoulos, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE), tells Solomon.
The professor highlights the lack of specific data on the issue in Greece, as — unlike other risk factors, such as obesity or smoking — “there is no systematic recording of the socioeconomic factors that affect health.”
Dr Kyriopoulos adds that energy poverty also affects the cardiovascular system, with exposure to low temperatures at home increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and higher blood pressure. “The mental health implications are equally significant,” he explains. “The uncertainty about meeting energy needs can cause anxiety, stress, and in some cases even depression.”
In 2024, the average temperature recorded by the meteorological stations of Patras was 16.8°C, Pyrgos Ilias 20.2°C, Agrinio 19.3°C, and Kalavryta 14.4°C, respectively.
All three areas are in the region of western Greece, where winters are generally mild. However, 2023 was not the only year that residents of this region struggled to heat their homes.
There has been a steady trend in the region, at least since 2021. In fact, the 2023 percentage for western Greece (30.3%) seems small compared to the corresponding 2021 figure, which reached 40.6% of the total population.
The most vulnerable households appear to be particularly affected.
According to data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), six out of ten households which are categorized as “poor” in western Greece did not have adequate heating in the winter of 2022 (59%). In the same year, western Greece was ranked the third-lowest disposable income region.
Although rental prices in Achaia have been steadily increasing since 2019, Ioanna Kopanitsanou, a second-generation real estate agent in Patras, confirms to Solomon that, as in Konstantina’s case, few homes provide central heating.
Almost seven out of ten apartment buildings do not purchase heating fuel in winter, says Kopanitsanou.
Even if independent heating is possible, she explains, the tenants won’t choose it, because it is economically unviable if the other apartments in the building do not follow suit. “It’s like using a big truck to take only two people up to Athens.”
This situation is now evident in the center of Patras, where the units in most buildings are mixed-use —some are offices while other apartments are used for student housing. This means that often tenants cannot agree on a common heating schedule.
Combined with the increased price of heating oil and low incomes, adequate heating is becoming prohibitive for many residents. Many are turning to fireplaces, with the result being, says Kopanitsanou, that “on cold days, the situation, especially outside the center, is stifling.”
The regional governor of Western Greece, Nektarios Farmakis, replied to Solomon’s questions regarding his region’s peculiar “first place” rating. He pointed out that “although the adequate heating of a household described by the report in question is only an indicator of the wider problem, energy poverty is an existing and constant issue facing the society of Western Greece”.
Farmakis referred to three initiatives put forward by the Region of Western Greece to address the issue: the energy upgrade of over 700 homes between 2019-2024; the construction of natural gas networks in Patras, Pyrgos and Agrinio; as well as the creation of seven energy communities, “with the aim of creating a large energy park, in order to relieve tens of thousands of our fellow citizens from unaffordable energy costs”.
Nikolas Katsoulakos’ doctoral thesis “Optimization of renewable energy sources use in mountainous areas. The case of Metsovo, Greece. 2013” at the National Technical University of Athens, highlights the factor of altitude in determining the energy needs of a household.
As it is found, mountain populations “are burdened with particularly increased costs to meet their energy needs.” For example, a residence at an altitude of 1,000 meters requires 83% more energy compared to a residence at sea level.
In the mountainous areas of Epirus and Agrafa, which Solomon visited, residents who are unable to secure central heating resort to a traditional solution to keep their homes warm: firewood.
The Ministry of Environment and Energy notes that the budget allocated to the competent regional services for logging has increased significantly, with the aim of covering the individual needs of residents: from €1.1 million in 2015 to €4.5 million in 2022.
However, in order to meet their needs, residents use the knowledge of the area they’ve had since childhood. In villages in the municipality of Agrafa, residents told Solomon that they collect tree trunks that wash up in certain spots along the Agrafiotis River. They have a lower burning quality than firewood, they explained, but they remain a solution—and free one.
In more densely populated areas, this solution creates problems. Local media highlight the issue of smog “suffocating” the city of Ioannina and the levels of suspended particulate matter in the air reaching up to 171 micrograms, (maximum safe level is 50).
In an online petition, it is claimed that smog is created by burning all types of wood in the city’s fireplaces, including unsuitable wood or wood covered in paint or chemicals.
People argue that, at the current level of heating oil prices, citizens are resorting to any and all solutions.
But what does the concept of “energy poverty” itself mean? Dr Kyriopoulos, Assistant Professor at LSE, points out that there are three factors that should be taken into consideration.
“The first is the real income of households, the second is energy needs (such as how energy efficient a building is), and the third is energy prices,” he explains.
“So, if we want to tackle the problem,” he adds, “we need to focus on these three areas: how to increase incomes, how to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, and what are the policies for setting energy prices.”
From 2020 to 2022, incomes in Greece increased, for households both at/under the poverty level and above the poverty level. The increase, however, did not translate into warmer homes in winter −on the contrary, the number of households unable to heat their homes increased.
According to an analysis by the Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), this is an indication that “the increase in incomes is not sufficient to offset the increase in the prices of energy and/or other essential goods, more so in poor households and less so in the rest.”
Regarding the surge in the average annual price of electricity in recent years, the data from the Hellenic Energy Exchange is revealing.
From the Greek government’s perspective, the surge in energy prices is presented as an effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On the one hand, however, as stated in an article by diaNEOsis, an independent, non-profit think-tank that has investigated energy poverty in Greece, “the truth is that, although the war clearly intensified and prolonged it, energy prices had already increased significantly long before the war began.”
On the other hand, comparing the course of energy prices in Greece, in relation to other EU countries, indicates a disproportionate increase.
What kinds of energy loss are there in homes?
The greatest percentage of the population in Greece (64%), stated that their homes have double glazing; while 58% of the “poor” have double glazing, compared to the “non-poor” at 65.4%. The difference is greater in terms of whether they have an “adequate heating system and thermal insulation”: 76% of the “non-poor” population has an adequate system, compared to 53% of the “poor” population.
With resources from the National Recovery and Resilience Fund, and through the “I Save” program, the Greek government is subsidizing improvements aimed at energy saving and energy autonomy of households. It is noted that the total investment “will contribute to the energy saving and energy renovation of at least 11,500 homes by 2025.”
At the same time, loans for energy upgrade projects are provided by the program “Upgrading my home”.
In 2021, in the Action Plan for Combating Energy Poverty, the government set the goal of reducing energy poverty (compared to 2016) by 50% in 2025 and by 75% in 2030.
Solomon addressed questions to the Ministry of Environment, disclosing the findings of the cross-border research. We asked, among other things, for information regarding how they plan to achieve their objectives, at a time when, since 2019, ELSTAT data has consistently recorded an increase, not a decrease, in the number of those affected by energy poverty.
At the time of publication, the Ministry had not responded to our questions.
Dr Kyriopoulos points out that families dealing with energy poverty “are often forced to choose between heating and food security. This has direct consequences, particularly for children, whose physical and cognitive development is significantly affected by food insecurity.”
For a family in Metsovo, this was a situation they had to avoid. They had just welcomed the newest member of their family into the home, and the residence (at an altitude of 1,150m) had to be warm at all times.
They told Solomon that last year, they needed about €2,800 for heating. For the 2024-2025 season, the maximum heating allowance that a family with one child can receive in Metsovo does not exceed €641. In order to receive the income support for residents in mountainous areas (up to €600), one has to be well below the poverty level: the family’s annual income must not exceed €4,700.
The first years of life are crucial for a person’s health and future socioeconomic status, adds Dr Kyriopoulos.
And the effects of what they experience now can last a lifetime. “Children who grow up in cold and inadequately heated homes are much more likely to face greater difficulties in their educational path and an increased risk of socioeconomic problems in the future.”
Before you go, can you chip in?
Quality journalism is not of no cost. If you think what we do is important, please consider donating and becoming a reader who makes our work possible.
