The Municipality of Spata–Artemida published a briefing note on the ‘Energy Efficiency Measures for Buildings’ project on Friday 25 September. The project involved the installation of thermal insulation, new air-conditioning units, LED lighting and solar panels at the 1st and 5th Primary Schools in Artemida and at Spata Secondary School, with a budget of €1,380,348.75. Two things are not mentioned in the memo. The works were completed on 30 August 2024, but the Municipality did not officially take delivery of the project until 10 July 2026. And the final cost is 80 per cent higher than the contract signed in 2022.
What happened at each school
At Artemida Primary School No. 1, on the corner of Psarron and Themistokleous streets, thermal and vapour barrier insulation was installed on the roof and external thermal insulation was fitted to the walls. New air-conditioning units, LED lighting and an 8 kWp photovoltaic system were also installed. During the works, the authorities found that the external doors were old iron doors with single-glazed windows, and described them as ‘on the verge of collapse’. They were replaced with new thermally insulated doors, a task not provided for in the original design.
At Artemida Primary School No. 5, on the corner of Spetson and Themistokleous Streets, the roof and external walls were thermally insulated. The air conditioning units and lighting fixtures were also replaced, and a 5 kWp photovoltaic system was installed. Most of the work was carried out at Spata Secondary School: window frames, roof, suspended ceilings, boiler room, central air-conditioning unit in the gym and a 22 kWp photovoltaic system.
From 764,000 euros to 1.38 million
The council’s study (12/2020) estimated the cost of the project at 812,895.81 euros including VAT. Three tenders were submitted in the November 2021 tender process. The contract was awarded to ‘M. Tsouli & Co. O.E.’ from Gerakas, now CTESIBIUS TECHNIKI E.E., with a 6 per cent discount. The contract was signed on 31 May 2022, amounting to €764,122.08 including VAT.
The cost rose in three ways. The first supplementary contract, at the end of 2022, added 87,810.78 euros plus VAT. The second, in June 2023, added a further €210,804 plus VAT. As shown in the minutes, most of the unforeseen costs were incurred at Spata Secondary School. The report notes a damaged tiled roof, window frames broken during a break-in, lightning protection stolen during the works, subsidence in areas of the school grounds where lorries had been driving, and a damaged underground hot-water network. The two supplementary contracts together increased the contract value by 48.5 per cent, just below the 50 per cent ceiling for such amendments. Finally, the price revision – the mechanism that adjusts contract prices to the cost of materials and labour – added €245,943.80 including VAT. The amount was paid in April 2024.
The final cost therefore came to 1,113,184.48 euros plus VAT, i.e. 1,380,348.76 euros.
Who paid?
The project was part of the ‘Attica 2014–2020’ programme. According to the minutes of the Municipal Council meeting of June 2023, of the €812,895.81 budget, only €360,000 was eligible expenditure. The remaining €452,895.81 was to be covered by the Municipality from its own resources. On the ‘Diafania’ transparency portal, the two supplementary budgets and the revision are also recorded as ‘Own Resources’. The council’s note now refers to the new ‘Attica 2021–2027’ programme and own resources, without specifying how much each covered. If the eligible expenditure remained at 360,000 euros, over 1 million was removed from the council’s budget. Whether this has changed following the transfer to the new programme has not been made public.
27 months instead of eight
The contract was for eight months, until 31 January 2023. This was followed by three extensions: until 30 July 2023, until 30 April 2024 and until 30 August 2024. The final extension was granted, according to the decision, whilst awaiting ‘bureaucratic procedures with HEDNO’ regarding the solar panels on school roofs, for which “the contractor is not responsible”. The project was completed within the final deadline, before schools opened for the 2024–25 academic year.
The handover, almost two years later
The acceptance committee was set up by the Municipal Council on 30 June 2026. The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), which by law appoints two of its five members, did not respond to the Municipality’s request. The protocol was signed on 10 July and approved by the Municipal Committee on 21 July, with Athanasios Zirogiannis abstaining. The contract obliged the contractor to maintain the project for 15 months after completion, a period which had expired in November 2025. Acceptance took place in a single act, which served as both provisional and final acceptance.
For the parents of the two primary schools, the measures have been in place since the start of the 2024–25 academic year. The actual amount of energy saved has not been published. The memo lists energy savings and the reduction of energy costs as objectives, without providing any figures.
Source: Municipality of Spata–Artemida, information note dated 25 September 2026; Transparency: Finance Committee Decision 536/2021, Contract 15923/31 May 2022, Finance Committee Decisions 526/2022, Municipal Council Decisions 157/2023, 104/2024 and 89/2026, and Municipal Committee Decision 467/2026.
