Save 20% on heating costs? Yes you can. Pollute less? Must. Avoid wasting heat? Absolutely yes. But the Italian state is late. And, this time, not in the transposition of the Community rules but in their concrete implementation.
Last year, in July, the European Directive 102 of 24 was implemented (legislative decree 2012), which imposes stringent rules for the energy saving. The rules concern both public buildings, which are many, too many, poorly managed and inefficient from an energy point of view, and private homes and offices, about three million, which use centralized heating or district heating.
By the 31 December of the 2016 devices will have to be installed to contain consumption and to obtain better energy efficiency. It will be necessary to adopt systems for the individual accounting of consumption and the related reporting.
An obligation already existed since 2000 but only concerned new buildings. There thermoregulation and individual heat measurement and consumption reporting, which can take place not only at the end of the winter period but also every 2/3 months, allow constant control of consumption and considerable savings on the heating bill which can reach 20%.
How does it work? Practically, in each condominium a general meter detects the global consumption of all the rooms. To measure the consumption of each individual apartment, where it is technically possible, an individual meter is installed at the entrance of the user to be measured, or the allocator is installed on each radiator which detects the actual consumption of the individual radiator and transmits the data to be able to carry out the sum of consumption within each housing unit. Obviously this system integrates with the thermostatic valves which, installed on each radiator, allow you to adjust the flow of hot water in relation to the desired temperature and avoid heating beyond what is necessary.
“With this system, everyone pays for what they consume, saving significantly, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving more responsible management of heating costs,” says Thomas Schoepcke, managing director of Ista-Italy, a company among the world leaders in the individual metering of consumption, based in Germany. Ista is present in 24 countries with 4700 employees, a turnover of 743 million euros and decades of experience in the sector, having installed its products in approximately 12 million apartments.
But how much is it? "The average consumption to heat an apartment of about 100 square meters is around 1200 euros a year", says Thomas Schoepcke. “The average investment to equip an apartment with thermostatic valves and a metering system is around 700 euros. By installing the valves, around 240 euros a year are saved, to which we must add the tax benefits ranging from 50 to 60%. In practice, within two years, the entire expense for installing thermostatic valves and consumption allocators and for obtaining an accounting service is canceled out by the savings”.
The benefits for pockets are obvious and the environment also benefits: the heating of the typical apartment produces the emission of approx. 3 tons of CO2 per year. By saving 20%, carbon dioxide is reduced by 0,6 tonnes, the equivalent of CO2 released in a year by an average-engined car traveling 20 kilometers a day for 300 days a year.
In Germany, Holland, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, this system has been around for years. “In Germany, individual accounting reduces CO2 emissions by 4,5 million tonnes every year. In Italy we have calculated that this CO2 reduction could be more than 2 million tons” says Walter Schmidt, CEO of ISTA and President of the European Association for Accounting of Energy Costs Based on Consumption (EVVE).
In Germany the sector of individual accounting of energy absorbs 30.000 employees and the prospects are positive for Italy too: if the Energy Efficiency Directive is applied correctly, there could be more than 15.000 jobs in this sector.
In Italy the climate, even in winter, now changes with high frequency. With the individual control of the temperature of the individual radiators and with the detection of the effective consumption of each apartment or office, waste is avoided, you only pay for what you actually consume and you also avoid heavy penalties provided for by law: from 500 to 2.500 euros for each apartment that does not install these systems.
The rules are there, even if, recently, the European Commission asked the Italian State for some clarifications and additions. Time is running out to respond and Italy risks a costly infringement procedure. Furthermore, what is missing is information on these topics and a public awareness campaign, among other things foreseen by the Directive.
Who should take care of it? The Ministry of Economic Development with the support of theAeneas. But the communication plan proposed by Enea six months after its elaboration still lies in the drawers of the building in Via Veneto. The companies that operate in the sector complain of a too slow start of condominium decisions on the matter, also due to lack of information.
Il risk is high: if citizens are not adequately informed and implementation of the envisaged obligations is not stimulated right now, the end of 2016 could end up with few buildings in order: defaulters would risk severe penalties. Unless you resort to the usual shameful extension.
