Italy is a country in "class A" for energy efficiency: in less than 10 years, Italian families have invested almost 28 billion euros (+12% in one year) to reduce waste and make their homes more efficient, carrying out 2,5 million energy requalification interventions between 2007 and 2015. A green choice that supports a supply chain with an average of 50 jobs per year. Overall, in the period 2005-2015, energy efficiency measures saved almost 10 Mtoe a year, avoiding 26 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 3 billion euro of expenses to import fossil fuels.
This is what emerges from the V Energy Efficiency Report (WEEE), presented today by ENEA at the Ministry of Economic Development, a monitoring, analysis and evaluation tool to support the policies adopted in this sector. A photograph that highlights how our country is among the leaders in Europe in this field with an energy intensity level 18% lower than the EU average, a particularly positive figure because the lower the energy intensity value, the more the country's energy efficiency is high.
The Report highlights that Italy has reached 32% of the 2020 savings target set by the 2014 National Energy Efficiency Plan: among the tools to promote efficiency, white certificates and tax deductions for energy redevelopments, the so-called eco-bonuses, used above all, explains the Report, for thermal insulation interventions on buildings, the replacement of fixtures and the installation of more efficient heating systems.
"Important goals have been achieved with the national efficiency policies, even if there are still barriers to overcome and strong margins for improvement to increase the competitive advantage of our country", underlined the President of ENEA Federico Testa. “ENEA – he added – is at the forefront to ensure that efficiency generates further benefits in order to reduce the energy expenditure of households, businesses and the public administration through concrete interventions and the introduction of innovative technologies. Efficiency is a great opportunity for sectors in which we are working with the competent ministries such as schools, cultural heritage and agri-food, but also for relaunching strategic sectors such as construction”, added Testa. “An important issue, on which little has been done so far is that of the condominiums of the 60s and 70s, which are particularly inefficient from an energy point of view. We need to find incentive mechanisms to allow those who live in these complexes and don't have resources to invest to become 'green' as well”, concluded Testa.
The Fifth Annual Report gives great space to the issues of energy requalification of the building stock, a sector that represents around 40% of final consumption in the European Union. “Italy has paid great attention to the energy performance of buildings, although there are still factors that hinder the full exploitation of the energy efficiency potential available. Greater and more incisive information and better conditions for accessing financial instruments are key factors for getting off the ground the huge investments necessary to achieve the objectives set at European level” – explained Roberto Moneta, director of the Energy Efficiency Technical Unit of the 'AENEAS.
The Report confirms that energy demand was down again in 2014 (-3,4% compared to the previous year), in line with the negative trend observed since 2010, reaching a total value of 151 Mtoe. In terms of final consumption, the civil sector absorbs the largest share (37,1%), followed by transport (33,3%) and industry (21,3%).
In 2014, final consumption by industry amounted to 25,7 Mtoe, down by 2,4% on the previous year. The industrial sector is the one that has been most affected by the economic crisis, so much so that in the period 2007-2014 consumption decreased by 31,5%. Energy-intensive sectors in 2014 absorbed over 60% of final consumption.
With Legislative Decree 102/2014 which transposed Directive 2012/27/EU, the energy diagnosis tool was introduced for companies: in 2015, ENEA received 10.823 diagnoses, 45% from companies in the manufacturing sector and 15% from % from those of the trade.
The residential sector also recorded a significant decrease in consumption in 2014 (25,5 Mtoe), with a drop of 15% compared to 2013. In the non-residential sector, after constant growth over the last 20 years, slowed down only by the economic crisis, consumption recorded a drop of 6,7% reaching 19,2 Mtoe. In transport, the share of use of fossil fuels, equal to approximately 99% in 2007, decreased to 95,7% in 2014, due to the reduction in petrol and diesel consumption and the growth of biofuels.
As far as regional energy performance is concerned, the report shows that 60% of energy efficiency projects were completed through the 2007-2013 Structural Funds. Furthermore, in the two-year period 2014-2015 the total area affected by energy requalification interventions in the PA, completed or under construction, amounted to 855.235 m2. The resources used in the application of energy efficiency measures out of the total POR-FESR funds, relating to the 2014-2020 period, amount to 2,4 billion euros.
The Report dedicates a specific chapter to communication on energy efficiency, with particular reference to the Three-year information and training program envisaged by Legislative Decree 102/2014 to make SMEs, civil servants, families, students and banking institutions aware of the tools, opportunities and importance of energy efficiency and to give birth to a widespread culture on the efficient and eco-sustainable use of energy and environmental resources.
In this context, the national campaign "Italy in class A" was launched to make the general public and the media aware of efficiency issues through training initiatives, information and a journalistic prize (http://www.enea.it/it /in-evidence/announcement-for-journalism-prize-italy-in-a-prize-class-intelligent-energy).
In the first year of the campaign, particular attention will be paid to the PA, bearing in mind that the more than 13 public buildings consume around 4,3 TWh of energy/year with a total expenditure of 644 million euro; with efficiency measures, these consumptions could be reduced by up to 40%.
