Greece spends more energy on heating than several northern European countries, a paradox explained by the country's many energy-inefficient buildings, says Eurostat.
Greece became the first EU country to be condemned by the European Court of Justice for failing to adopt a 2002 directive regarding the energy performance of newly constructed buildings.
The court delivered its verdict on January 15 after the European Commission accused Athens last September of failing to transpose the law into national statutes.
The EU gave Greece a two-year deadline in 2005 to implement the directive, but the environment and development ministries failed to adopt the necessary energy-saving methods, which include bioclimatic architecture and using environmentally-friendly building materials.
Greece will now be given a deadline to comply with the EU directive. If the government fails to do so, the EU will impose a hefty fine on Greece.
Greece's buildings account for the largest share of energy consumption, which is estimated at approximately 40 percent of energy demand in the European Union, experts say. According to the official statistics provided by Eurostat, the average Greek household consumes 22.6 kilowatts of energy per square metre for heating on an annual basis, nearly twice as much as Danish households (13.6 kilowatts).
Dutch households spend 20 kilowatts per square metre on an annual basis, while German ones consume 21 kilowatts.
"Over the past few decades, thousands of energy-inefficient buildings have been constructed in Greece," said Manthos Santamouris, physics professor at Athens University. "This has particularly affected people with low incomes... According to our research, poorer people have to pay approximately 80 percent more on heating compared to those who live in buildings that have energy-saving features."
Experts argue that Greek homes and commercial buildings are literally leaking energy as speed-driven construction practices result in homes that let off unnecessarily high carbon dioxide emissions, as well as in higher bills for inhabitants.
Pasok MP Yannis Maniatis said that although Greece had repeatedly received warnings from the EU regarding the implementation of the directive, it did not even try to prevent its condemnation by the European Court.
"Had Greece adopted the EU directive, Greek households would have saved over 300,000 euros [per year] on oil used for heating... The responsibility lies with the development and environment ministries, which knew the dangers but did nothing to prevent them."
Architect Nikos Fintikakis, director of the Architecture and Renewable Energy Sources Committee, says that it is important to utilise the sun and wind power in constructions.
"Bioclimatic building design, including passive heating and cooling systems that use the sun and the wind, has a significant potential in lowering building heating and cooling loads. The legal height of buildings should be lowered and roads widened so that it is easier to warm buildings by using the sun and cooling them by using the wind," said Fintikakis.
Surveys completed for the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources indicate that the use of bioclimatic design and passive solar systems reduces building heating loads by about 30 percent compared to conventional, newly-built residential buildings. Compared to older, uninsulated buildings, the surveys say, the energy savings of bioclimatic buildings may be as high as 80 percent.
Buildings over 20 years old are particularly energy-inefficient as the vast majority of them does not have double-glazed windows and proper insulation.