This highly user-friendly handbook was developed using modern digital tools and is designed to provide the necessary guidance to all municipalities wishing to develop Local Sustainable Cooling and Heating Plans, in accordance with the requirements of Article 25 of European Directive 2023/1791 on Energy Efficiency.

Until the Greek digital version of the Guide becomes available, you can explore and familiarize yourself with the handbook by following the link below:

PLAN4COLD Digital Handbook VF | Genially  

The event was organized simultaneously in Crete and Central Macedonia by the Technical University of Crete (TUC) and the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES), in cooperation with the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia. The initiative was part of the European co-funded project Plan4COLD (LIFE23-CET-Plan4Cold), which focuses on "Sustainable energy solutions for heating & cooling in tourism, agricultural production, and the residential sector."

Core Thematics & Keynote Speakers

During the conference, specialized presentations covered the entire spectrum of the energy transition across critical sectors of the local economy, focusing heavily on:

• European & Institutional Framework for Heating & Cooling: Emphasizing the implementation of Article 25 of the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) 2023/1791.
• Energy Upgrades in Tourism & the Residential Sector: Highlighting cutting-edge technologies, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and energy-saving applications for hotel units, tourist accommodations, and residences.
• Sustainable Applications in the Primary Sector & Agricultural Production: Introducing innovative heating and cooling solutions for greenhouse installations, agri-food units, and processing facilities.

The topics were presented by experts from CRES and the TUC Project Team, alongside invited speakers who will form the local Community of Practice (CoP), contributing their expertise to the final formulation of local Sustainable Heating and Cooling Plans:

• Maria Apostolaki — Head of the Department for Mitigation and Energy Efficiency, Directorate of Climate Change, Region of Crete
• Chrysanthi Kiskini — Director of the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia
• Giorgos Michelakis — Vice President of the Chania Regional Branch of the Panhellenic Association of Graduate Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
• Nikoleta Golfinopoulou — Representative of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece (GEOTEE) - Directorate of Environment and Agricultural Development, Municipality of Rethymno
• Antonis Mavromatis — Deputy Secretary of the Chania Hoteliers Association

The discussion was moderated by Assistant Professor Emmanouil Varouchakis, Scientific Coordinator of the Project at the Technical University of Crete.

Key Discussions & Proceedings

Opening & Institutional Framework

The meeting commenced with an official welcome from the Vice Governor of Chania responsible for energy matters, Mr. N. Kalogeris, who greeted the attendees and thanked all participants for their active contribution.

The first part of the conference deep-dived into the European legislative framework, highlighting several vital aspects:

• Project Objectives: Plan4COLD focuses on developing local sustainable heating and cooling plans for municipalities in Greece, Italy, and Portugal. To achieve this, an integrated methodology, a practical toolkit, and training materials are being developed for local government personnel.
• Local Communities of Practice: These dynamic collaborative and consultative groups consist of local stakeholders (chambers, associations, regions). Their goal is to identify local challenges, highlight realistic solutions, and ultimately secure formal institutional approval of the plans by the municipalities.
• Institutional Bottlenecks & Barriers: It was underscored that the relevant European directive has not yet been fully transposed into Greek legislation. This delay hinders the collection of the necessary energy data essential for accurate municipal planning.
• Energy Poverty: The pressing need to protect vulnerable households was emphasized, placing the reduction of energy consumption as an immediate priority.
• The Role of the Building Sector in Energy Transition: Particular emphasis was placed on buildings as major energy consumers, accounting for approximately 40% of energy consumption across Europe. Energy upgrades offer immediate, measurable results, and the wider public sector must lead by example by adopting these sustainable strategies first.

Regional Initiatives & Innovative Technologies

At the regional level, significant initiatives and breakthrough technologies were showcased:

• Flagship Funded Projects: Programs concerning the energy upgrade of energy-intensive public buildings (hospitals, health centers), the modernization of municipal street lighting, and the establishment of energy communities to meet the needs of the agricultural sector.
• Digital Tools: The pilot application of the "Building Renovation Passport"—a digital platform that records a building's current status and proposes step-by-step measures toward zero carbon emissions.
• New Technologies (District Heating / Cooling): A new European project was presented studying the conversion of waste heat from industrial processes into an energy resource for district heating and cooling networks, tailored to the high cooling demands of southern regions.

Socio-Economic Challenges & Sectoral Adjustments

• Economic Barriers: Speakers noted the financial inability of several households to cover the required self-participation in co-funded renovation programs.
• Technical Labor Shortage: A severe shortage of specialized engineers and technical crews was highlighted. Recommendations included redesigning university curricula and organizing targeted seminars for new skill development.
• Tourism & Hospitality Sector: Energy costs account for 15-25% of hotel operating expenses. Proposed solutions included thermal insulation, energy-efficient windows, and highly efficient HVAC systems, alongside the necessity of staff and guest education. Furthermore, the new obligation for corporate groups to certify their carbon footprint reduction between 2025 and 2030 was noted.
• Agricultural Sector: The modernization of the primary sector through automation has increased energy consumption, driving up production costs. Informing farmers and strengthening the energy-water nexus—such as installing photovoltaics on water wells—was heavily recommended.
• Smart Energy Management: The need for stricter controls on building stock was underlined, alongside mandatory energy recovery from air conditioning. Additionally, the importance of "digital twins" and smart systems that automatically adjust cooling and energy storage based on grid price fluctuations was emphasized.

A Shared Vision for the Future

The information day concluded with a summary of the main conclusions. The common goal of all partners is to create a practical guide and an actionable plan so that municipalities are fully prepared for upcoming European directives.

All valuable interventions from the speakers will be integrated into the project's final policy paper. The session closed with the shared consensus that the "key" to a successful energy transition is multilevel cooperation between the public sector, the market, civil society, and research institutions.

At the opening, it was highlighted that the Plan4COLD project is now midway through its implementation, having already produced its first significant results. At the same time, the planning of the project's next targeted actions was announced, which will take place both in person and online.

The program included presentations and an open discussion regarding the legislative framework of the European Energy Efficiency Directive, the Plan4COLD project, and the formulation of Action Plans for Heating and Cooling in the Municipalities of Chania and Heraklion.

This was followed by an exchange of experiences and a discussion on the main challenges at a local level, with the participation of representatives from Local Government, the Region of Crete, the hotel sector, and professional engineering associations, as well as a Capacity Building Workshop (13:00–15:00) on the implementation of energy planning tools.

The participants renewed their appointment for the project's upcoming capacity building workshop.

The meeting brought together energy agencies, research institutions, and European networks across Southern Europe to discuss on the advances on project deliverables. Key highlights and progress reviewed during the two-day meeting include:  

Tools & Capacity Building: Partners evaluated data-driven tools (e.g., CoolLIFE, Citiwatts, EUCityCalculator) and tailored training materials designed to support municipalities in baseline energy assessments and decarbonisation scenario building. 

Local Communities of Practice (LCoPs): Progress on establishing LCoPs and executing capacity-building workshops across partner regions in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Croatia was benchmarked.   

Monitoring & Replication: Strategies for key performance indicators (KPIs) tracking, policy dissemination, and upscaling Plan4COLD methodologies to follower cities beyond current project boundaries were outlined.

LIFE Plan4COLD project is co-funded by the European Union under the LIFE Programme, Plan4COLD aims to empower Southern European municipalities to define and implement actionable Sustainable Local Heating and Cooling Plans (SLHCPs)

Project presentation and data collection
An initial meeting was held with the Municipality of Heraklion on 13 February 2025 to present the Plan4COLD project, its objectives, and the planned activities.

Engagement with the Local Community of Practice 
A bilateral meeting was held with a member of the Heraklion Local Community of Practice (LCoP), the Energy Cluster of Crete. The meeting held in May 2025 focused on tools and approaches for efficient energy management and monitoring in private buildings and businesses.

Second project meeting
The 2nd working meeting held on October 13, 2025 at the Directorate of Cleansing and Recycling of the Municipality of Heraklion, which is housed in the Municipal Vehicle Depot in the Heraklion Industrial Area (VI.PE.), was attended by the Deputy Mayor for Cleansing, Environment & Energy and the Head of the Environment Department, Mr. Emmanouil Fotakis. The purpose of this meeting was to collect studies and energy data in order to map the current situation regarding cooling and heating.

Capacity Building Workshops – October 2026 
The second and third Capacity Building Workshops will be held in a hybrid format in Heraklion, bringing together participants from both pilot municipalities (Heraklion and Chania). Following the completion of the workshops, the official launch of the Local Communities of Practice is planned.

CHANIA MUNICIPALITY

Project presentation and data collection
Two meetings have been held with the Municipality of Chania. The first took place in April 2025 and focused on presenting the Plan4COLD project and its objectives. A second meeting was held in May 2025 with representatives of the Municipal Technical Service to support the collection of the data required for the project.

Engagement with the Local Community of Practice
The Sustainability Committee of the Technical University of Crete (TUC) is participating in the Chania Local Community of Practice. In February 2026, the Committee was presented with the list of tools identified within the framework of Work Package 3 (WP3).

Further stakeholder engagement
In March 2026, bilateral meetings were also held with the Municipal Organisation for Water Management and the Development Organisation of Crete (OAK), focusing on the exchange of information and the identification of relevant data, tools, and opportunities for cooperation within the Plan4COLD project.

Capacity Building Workshops – May 2026
The first Capacity Building Workshop was held in a hybrid format in Chania on May 15th. The 2-hour session started after the National event which was organised in cooperation with CRES bringing together participants from both pilot municipalities from Crete (Heraklion and Chania) as well as the municipalities from the Region of Central Macedonia (Thermis and Ampelokipon-Menemenis). Following the completion of this first workshop, the representatives of the Local Communities of Practice contributed in a fruitful discussion about the key challenges for each Local Sustainable Heating and Cooling Plan. 

The narration is in English, but you can turn on Greek subtitles from the settings. 

τhe Technical University of Crete, through the School of Mineral Resources Engineering, is a partner in the European LIFE Plan4Cold project: "Supporting Southern European municipalities in defining Sustainable Local Heating and Cooling Plans". 

The project brings together 15 partners from five Southern European countries, coordinated by the Portuguese National Energy Agency (ADENE). The project runs for three years (2024–2027) and is funded by the EU's LIFE Clean Energy Transition Programme (LIFE-2023-CET).

Associate Professor Emmanouil Varouchakis is the project's Scientific Coordinator. 

Stay tuned for more updates!

The project consortium comprises 15 partners from Greece, Italy and Portugal, with the Portuguese Energy Agency (ADENE) acting as project coordinator. Plan4COLD runs for 36 months, from October 2024 to September 2027, and is co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme (LIFE-2023-CET). 

The project aims to develop a methodology for preparing Sustainable Local Heating and Cooling Plans (SLHCPs). These plans address the energy needs and infrastructure of local areas, while supporting the transition towards more efficient and sustainable heating and cooling systems. Heating and cooling account for approximately half of the EU’s energy demand and are therefore closely linked to greenhouse-gas emissions and the achievement of Europe’s energy and climate objectives.

Particular emphasis is placed on Southern European countries, where cooling demand is already significant and is expected to increase further as a result of climate change. Plan4COLD supports local and regional authorities in responding to these challenges and in strengthening their capacity for integrated, evidence-based energy planning.

The project also supports the implementation of Article 25(6) of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 on energy efficiency. The provision requires Member States to ensure that local heating and cooling plans are prepared, at a minimum, for municipalities with a population of more than 45,000 inhabitants. It also highlights the importance of stakeholder involvement, public participation, consideration of existing energy infrastructure and cooperation among neighbouring administrative areas.  

Within the framework of the project, pilot municipalities in Greece, Italy and Portugal will receive technical support. In Greece, the Region of Crete has been selected as a pilot area, with the Municipalities of Chania and Heraklion receiving support for the development of their respective Sustainable Local Heating and Cooling Plans.

The project is also expected to benefit municipalities across Crete through the development of training and guidance materials for local and regional authorities, as well as through capacity-building activities involving public institutions, relevant stakeholders and professionals in the sector. By promoting knowledge exchange and taking into account the specific socioeconomic characteristics of each area, Plan4COLD will contribute to the development of policy recommendations applicable at local, regional, national and European levels.