Vari-Voula-Voulagmeni, Greece
Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, a municipality in the Attica region of Greece, is undertaking a comprehensive heat detox aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions across seven municipal buildings.
A holistic energy upgrade
Across Greece and Europe, the building sector is one of the largest consumers of energy, driven by increasing heating and cooling demands due to climate change. To address this, the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni is focusing on a heat detox across seven municipal buildings, to enhance residents’ quality of life, reduce energy consumption, and combat climate change.
The city's strategy includes replacing old conventional oil boilers with high-efficiency heat pumps, while integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels to supply the electricity needed for the new heating systems. The city is also modernising lighting systems with LED lamps and improving outdoor insulation. These upgrades are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 319.22 tonnes per year. The installation of PVs, starting from the first year of operation, is estimated to generate 285.904 kWh/year, enough to cover the municipality’s energy needs.
Focus on municipal buildings and communities
The heat detox initiative in this Greek city focuses on municipal buildings, particularly schools. The selected school buildings constitute 15.15% of the total school building stock in the municipality.
The improvements are expected to benefit 6,540 citizens out of a total population of 52,546. Notably, 3,270 of those benefiting are men and 3,270 are women, promoting gender equality within the community.
Community Engagement
Effective communication and stakeholder engagement have been key to the success of the project. A range of communication actions and media were used to inform citizens and stakeholders about the project’s objectives and expected results. These included social media campaigns, the municipality’s website, and targeted actions aimed at specific groups such as citizens, municipal employees, students, and engineers.
An initial promotional campaign introduced the project, distributing informational materials including leaflets in both regular and Braille formats. Targeted actions included engaging students in energy-saving experiments, educating employees on energy efficiency in public spaces, and informing about the design of nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) and updated legislation regarding renewable energy installations.
This communication strategy ensured that the project’s benefits, including its environmental and economic impacts, were understood by the community, while also raising awareness about the importance of sustainable development practices and the adoption of energy-efficient solutions.
Where the city is in its heat strategy
Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni's Heat Detox
Covenant Figures
- Signatory to the Covenant of Mayors since: 2014
Emission reduction ambitions:
- % GHG emissions reductions by 2030: 40%
- % GHG emissions reductions by 2050: 82%