Paphos Town Hall has signed a contract with BKV Exelixis General Constructions Ltd for the renovation of the building that houses the technical services.
The documents were signed on behalf of the municipality by the mayor, Fedonas Fedonos, and on behalf of the contractor by the company's director, Dimitris Conteatis.
According to the release, the contractor will be required to improve the energy efficiency of the municipal facility through the application of modern methods and technologies. This is expected to result in a significant reduction in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a reduction in the cost of running the building.
We are implementing modern technologies to ensure sustainable development and resource conservation," said the Mayor of Paphos, Fedonas Fedonos, at a press conference following the signing of the agreement.
The mayor said that the renovation work will start in the coming weeks and will take about four months. The cost of modernising the technical services building is estimated at 225 million euros. This project will be an example of the efficient use of resources by the municipality. It will also enhance the reputation of Paphos as an environmentally responsible city.
It is worth noting that some 15,000 buildings in Cyprus are expected to undergo energy upgrades by 2050.
One of the sectors responsible for a significant share of emissions is the construction sector. In fact, Cyprus was one of the last EU countries to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for new buildings, and as a result a large proportion of them require energy retrofitting.
The Affordable Zero Energy Buildings (AZEB) standard became mandatory for public buildings in 2019 and for new buildings and major renovations in 2020. Under the Energy Efficiency Law, the government in Cyprus is required to renovate 3% of its buildings each year from 2013 to achieve the AZEB standard. This includes schools, hospitals and all public buildings.