Sorting out our Greek electricity supply

As an unwitting child of the Thatcher years in the UK there are certain things that I tend to take for granted about how things are organised in the economics of a society. Greece is yet to experience a similar iconoclastic fury of reform, which means we sometimes find ourselves asking really dumb questions.

Take the question of our electricity supply for example. When we were in the estate agents office last week our new landlord said "Of course, you will get the electricity supply made in your name". We sort of mumbled in agreement, and then later on wondered how the hell do we do that?

Our first problem was that we didn't even know who supplied the electricity, let alone what we had to do to change it. So I put my researcher cap on.

Well, the question of who supplies the electricity is easily solved. In Greece there is still just the one nationalised monopoly supplying power - ΔΕΗ

As to how we change the billing details - that is a real mystery. Of course there is no friendly website from ΔΕΗ trying to attract new customers. If everybody has to use you anyway what is the point? So far the best I have managed to find out is that to change the account we need to present ourselves, and our ID, and the wiring plans for the house, in person at our nearest ΔΕΗ office. Which as far as I can tell is in Athens.

Now I can't believe it can be that complicated...or can it?