The Cyprus Consumers Association (CCA) has been busy with two collective purchase campaigns under the CLEAR-X project. Beyond all the work on the ground to ensure uptake of solar panels and energy efficient air conditioners among consumers, they’ve also been working to reduce barriers to the energy transition at the policy level.

One of the bureaucratic issues delaying the roll-out of solar panels in Cyprus has been a lack of capacity to process grid connections at the Electricity Authority. Following complaints from CCA, however, the Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry acknowledged the problem, and has agreed to increase the number of staff at the Electricity Authority to deal with the level of demand.

A second issue that concerned CCA was the Electricity Authority’s plans to charge consumers for installation of their smart meters. Again, with complaints from CCA and an acknowledgement that smart meter roll-out across Europe is already a matter of national legislation, the Electricity Authority agreed to remove this financial burden, thus speeding up the roll-out and acceptance of smart meters.

Speaking of the policy wins, Stamatis Rossides said “we’re really happy with the actions of both the Ministry and the Authority in these situations. It doesn’t resolve every barrier to the energy transition for consumers, but it’s a good start.”