Heated debates in Greece’s cold apartment buildings over heating in winter

A “civil war” has broken out in Greece’s apartment buildings on the crucial issue of heating in winter as the energy prices, that is heating oil and natural gas, keep on rising. The issue has already called in meeting in apartment buildings where home owners, tenants and landlords have to decide whether they will proceed to supply of heating oil or they will turn on the natural gas to provide with literally “precious” warmth their families.

The debates run heated in cold living rooms because a part of the residents say that they cannot afford the central heating, while the other part insists on warm heating pipes.

As the heating oil supply season begins on October 14 with starting price at 1.30 euros per liter – so state broadcaster ERT-, decisions have to be taken as soon as possible.

State subsidy is expected as from December 1, however, many were unable to receive it last year as apartment buildings often do not have tax number and those especially in the South who received it said it was just “peanuts.”

In northern Greece, where temperatures are already lower than in the South, apartment buildings assemblies have ended up in sheer confrontation because many residents decided to disconnect their apartments from the central heating, turning to other solutions such as wood stoves or air conditioners.

“When in such meetings the issue of disconnection from central heating is raised, we often attend and act as fire brigades, because discussions end in frictions and disputes,” Eleni Iakovidou, treasurer of the Association of Enterprises that issue the common use bills, told news website grtimes.gr

The reason for the fights is, according to Mrs. Iakovidou, “Fact is that if apartments are disconnected from the central heating, then it will cease to benefit those who remain in it,” Iakovidou said explaining why disconnection is not so simple.

The treasurer added that “while a building with 8 apartments had to pay €520 for natural gas in February 2021, exactly one year later, the bill was €950. Respectively, the electricity bill during the same time periods, went from €286 up to €674.”

Iakovidou added that they had already in summer 2022 that there were natural gas bills with four times the amounts of those of the corresponding period the previous year.”

With salaries and pensions in stagnation and inflation at 12% more and more people are unable to pay their share on joint heating bills.

“Some people helped those in need and paid their share in solidarity in the past,” Iakovidou stressed.

But now “there is no money to help in solidarity,” while nowadays the reserves of the apartment buildings are also being used to pay the bills.

The procedure to disconnect form the central heating is not an easy one as it needs the convergence of the assembly of the apartment building, where the other tenants will also be informed. Then, the interested party will have to meet certain conditions such as the impact on the energy sufficiency of the building.”

Those who disconnect still have to pay a share on the steady expenses (πάγιο) of the heating.