Italy grows in energy efficiency. This was revealed by Enea's third annual report, relating to the evolution of the sector recorded in 2012.
The entire Italian economy has had a improvement of the energy efficiency index by about 1 percentage point compared to the previous year. The sectors that have contributed most to this result are residential and industry which together account for 80% of the total savings achieved. The transport sector, on the other hand, did not register significant improvements. The interventions envisaged by the plan, Enea points out, have made it possible to obtain total energy savings of approximately 75.000 GWh/year, as at 31 December 2012, equal to 30% more than in 2011. A figure that makes it possible to achieve 60% of the target set by the Action Plan for energy efficiency for 2016.
On the energy requalification of the building heritage, Enea highlights the effects on employment in 2020 which are estimated at 237 directly employed and 355 overall. According to the agency, energy efficiency has revolutionized the building industry thanks to new materials and new technologies.
“This development potential – reads the Enea report – can translate into a driving force for the economy and the labor market, thanks to the advent of new green occupations, new professional figures and for existing ones, new training needs, as well as greater stability, health and safety. Employment levels in fact, following the training dedicated to energy efficiency, increase by 23% and one year after the end of the course, 88% of the participants are employed”.
In European context Italy confirms a good positioning in terms of energy intensity (the measure of efficiency) with a performance of -19% compared to the EU average and -14,3% compared to the Eurozone average (reference to 2011 last year of data availability). Compared to other European countries with the same industrial development, Italy's primary energy intensity is 6,3% lower than that of Germany and 18,2% lower than that of France, but higher than that of the United Kingdom. United Kingdom (+14,6%). In terms of primary energy intensity, the Report highlights a drop of 1,8 percent. In fact, since 2003 the amount of energy used to produce a unit of GDP has recorded a decrease in the main manufacturing sectors.
