Starting today 15 October, heating will start in 4.300 Italian municipalities, those in climatic zone "E" which include large cities such as Milan, Turin, Bologna, Venice. To help consumers heat their homes in the best possible way, while avoiding waste and nasty surprises on the bill (or penalties for not having carried out the legal revisions), a handbook arrives with the 10 basic rules for efficient and more convenient heating '.
Edited by experts from the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE) and ENEA, the handbook will be available on the websites www.mise.gov.it www.agenziaefficiencyenergetica.it e www.enea.it together with the news on the subject of APE, the mandatory energy performance certificate for rentals and sales which has changed since 1 October, and the new rules for boilers. From the end of September, in fact, only high-efficiency boilers can be installed, based on the MiSE regulations which implement the European efficiency legislation.
Rule No. 1 – Do the maintenance of the systems. It is the number one rule, both for safety reasons and to avoid penalties: a well-regulated and well-maintained plant consumes and pollutes less. Anyone who does not carry out maintenance on their system risks a fine of no less than 500 euros, based on the provisions of Presidential Decree 74/2013.
Rule No. 2 – Check the room temperature. Overheating the house is bad for your health and your pockets: the law allows a temperature of 20 – 22 degrees, but 19° are more than enough to guarantee the necessary comfort. Also be careful, because each degree lowered translates into a saving of 5 to 10% on fuel consumption.
Rule No. 3 – Pay attention to the ignition hours. The maximum daily ignition time is indicated by law and changes according to the 6 climatic zones into which Italy is divided. For the municipalities in band "E", starting tomorrow, the maximum is 14 hours.
Rule No. 4 – Use chronothermostats. Savings help comes from modern electronic devices that allow you to adjust the temperature and ignition time in order to keep the system running only when you are at home.
Rule No. 5 – Apply thermostatic valves. These devices open or close the circulation of hot water in the radiator and allow the set temperature to be kept constant, helping to concentrate the heat in the most frequented rooms and avoid waste.
Rule No. 6 – Install reflective panels between the wall and the radiator. It's a simple but very effective 'trick' to reduce heat loss.
Rule No. 7 – Screen the windows at night. Closing shutters and rolling shutters or placing heavy curtains reduces heat loss to the outside.
Rule No. 8 – Check up your home. The thermal insulation of the walls and windows of the building is an aspect not to be overlooked: if the construction was done before 2008, it probably does not comply with the current regulations on the containment of energy consumption and it is advisable to evaluate an intervention to insulate the walls and replace Windows. With new models that disperse less heat, the benefit can be doubled: energy consumption is reduced by up to 20% and you can take advantage of the so-called ecobonus, the 65% tax deduction.
Rule No. 9 – Innovative heating systems. If the plant is more than 15 years old, it is advisable to evaluate its replacement, for example with new biomass boilers, heat pumps, or with integrated plants where the boiler is fed with preheated water from a solar thermal system and/or from a heat pump powered by a photovoltaic system. For these interventions you can take advantage of the ecobonuses for the energy requalification of buildings 65% and of the building stock of 55%.
Rule No. 10 – Avoid obstacles in front of and above radiators: placing curtains or furniture in front of radiators or using radiators as a laundry dryer disperses heat and is a source of waste. Furthermore, be careful not to leave the windows open for too long: a few minutes are enough to renew the air in a room, avoiding unnecessary heat loss.
The new labeling for boilers
New energy labeling has been in effect since the end of September, which defines the minimum efficiency standards for boilers. Introduced by the MiSE on the basis of the European Ecodesign regulation, it provides for an energy classification from A+ to G for space heating appliances and from A to G for appliances for producing domestic hot water. Furthermore, it becomes mandatory to install only condensing boilers, capable of recovering a large part of the heat contained in the fumes which, otherwise, would be dispersed in the chimney. Boiler manufacturers will no longer be able to market non-condensing boilers.
