Energy: Italy, high energy efficient buildings are on the rise

Presented the ENEA - CTI Report on Energy Certification of Buildings

The number of buildings with high energy performance is on the rise, going  from approximately 7% to 10% of the total in the period 2016-2019, thanks to major renovations and construction of new buildings, as shown by the Annual Report on the Energy Performance Certification of Buildings. The outcome of a collaboration between ENEA and CTI (Italian Thermotechnical Committee), it was presented during the webinar attended, among others, by Federico Testa, President of ENEA, Cesare Boffa, President of the CTI and Anita Pili, member of the Coordination of the Energy Commission of the Conference of Regions and Councillor  Responsible for Industry of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia.

The report is based on over 4.5 million energy performance certificates (APE)[1] from the 2016-2019 period, of which 85% related to residential properties[2].

The report also shows that over 60% of the Italian real estate stock falls in the less efficient energy classes (F-G), also because it was mostly built between 1945 and 1972; new buildings are only 3.4% of APE and of these over 90% have high energy performance (A4-B). The non-residential sector, which accounts for 15% of the total APE, falls for over 50% in the intermediate energy classes (C-D-E) and for over 10% in the most efficient ones (A4-B).

"The energy requalification of public and private buildings in our country is one of the strategic priorities indicated in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for 2030, with the aim of promoting an energy consumption and CO2 emissions cut, as well as development and integration of energy production based on renewable sources ”, the Minister of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli said.

"In recent years Italy has put in place a set of incentive tools and regulatory measures capable of accelerating the energy efficiency rate of buildings, such as the tax deduction mechanism to which was recently added the 110% Superbonus, to promote energy development actions such as thermal insulation and replacement of existing heating systems.

These measures have a strong impact both in terms of energy consumption reduction and mobilization of investments. Energy Performance Certificates (APE) are an important tool to evaluate the energy performance of our homes and the interventions to be conducted to improve their energy performance. I would therefore like to thank ENEA and CTI which drew the report and the Regions who made the data on EPAs available. I hope this monitoring activity will continue in the coming years also through a complete implementation of the National Information System on Energy Performance Certificates”, Patuanelli said.

"ENEA, also in its capacity as National Agency for Energy Efficiency, has actively contributed to the introduction of energy certification in Italy", President of ENEA Federico Testa pointed out. "Furthermore, the Agency works constantly with the Ministry of Economic Development and the main operators in the sector to draw and implement policies aimed at a greater dissemination of the Energy Performance Certificate (APE). Together with the possibility of making more informed choices and motivating actions to reduce consumption, the information contained in the certificates, collected in the regional and provincial land registers, which in turn feed the APE Information System (SIAPE), are crucial for analyzing the energy performance of the entire Italian building heritage.

Furthermore, through innovative measurement and accounting systems, the potential of the APE is increasing, providing data increasingly accurate and accessible to consumers. Therefore, the energy certification is a fundamental tool to meet the objectives regarding energy efficiency and the constant monitoring of the information obtained through the APE allows for the development of strategic planning in terms of redevelopment, services and energy policies ”, Testa said. "I would also like to thank the working group which has drawn this valuable document and I sincerely hope that the analyses, reflections and indications contained therein can be a useful reference for public decision makers, scholars and private companies, in order to make the best use of this tool and help improve its effectiveness”, Testa concluded.

"This report is a key step of an ambitious project: transferring to operators the results of the work and information on the energy certification of buildings that ENEA and CTI collect during their daily activity thanks to the collaboration of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces and the supervision of the MiSE. The report, thanks to periodic updates, will provide policy and decision makers with a sound reference point to fully grasp how legislative and technical activities relating to the energy efficiency of buildings evolve over time and influence the dynamics of one of the most important markets for the economic system of our country " Cesare Boffa,  President of the CTI, pointed out.

"Energy efficiency of buildings is certainly one of the most important and representative development clusters at the local level, with the Regions that, within a European and national reference framework, play a decisive role in harmonizing the needs of the center and of the periphery, the priority needs to meet the general requests and the individual needs of local communities ", Anita Pili, member of the Coordination of the Energy Commission of the Conference of Regions, and Councilor for Industry of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, said.

"Improving the energy performance of buildings is one of the main objectives to accompany the energy transition of our country with significant economic benefits: energy requalification interventions, in fact, have generated about 39 billion euro of investments and 270 thousand jobs in the last 10 years each year, which reach over 400 thousand considering also related activities”, Ilaria Bertini, head of the ENEA Energy Efficiency Unit Department pointed out. "Now the 110% Superbonus is also available, which has two main objectives: reviving the economy through the construction sector and improving the energy performance of the building stock. The mechanism is ready and so are all subjects involved - companies, institutions, credit institutions and ENEA - without delays or obstacles”, Bertini concluded.

The Report on the Energy Performance Certificate of Buildings is available in Italian at: https://www.enea.it/it/seguici/events/rapportoape_2020/ENEA-CTI

[1] The Energy Performance Certificate (APE, or, commonly, "energy certificate") certifies the performance and energy class of a property on a scale from A4 to Gb and indicates the most convenient improvement interventions. The APE provides the citizen with information such as the energy needs of the building or building unit, its energy quality, its carbon dioxide emissions and use of renewable energy source, which affect management costs and environmental impact of the property,  to help him making an informed choice in the case of purchase, lease or recovery retrieval (renovation or redevelopment). The energy performance is the amount of energy required to meet the requirements related to a standard use of a building,  annually, for heating, cooling, ventilation, production of domestic hot water and, in non-residential buildings, lighting, elevators and escalators. Since October 2015, the APE has adopted a standard format throughout the country. The first two pages of the EPA contain essential information for the citizen.

[2] Data were collected through the SIAPE (Information System on Energy Performance Certificates) and provided by single Regions and Autonomous Provinces in the reference period (2016-19).