Flats in Italy
Peter Zhou on Unsplash

Italy is a nation plagued by ageing and inefficient homes. This assertion is backed by a report from Confartigianato on the green transition of buildings, unveiled in Milan during the "Week for Energy and Sustainability." It's striking to note that out of 25.7 million residences, an overwhelming 17.5 million—equivalent to 68% of the total—were built before 1980. Additionally, a concerning 51.8% of properties fall into the least efficient energy classes (F and G).

According to the Confartigianato report, the regions with the highest number of homes constructed prior to 1980 include:

  • Lombardy (2,973,768)
  • Lazio (1,782,175)
  • Piedmont (1,463,157)
  • Campania (1,452,177)
  • Sicily (1,391,972)

Regions and provinces with the poorest energy performance

In addition to the age of the properties, Confartigianato has identified regions and provinces with the worst energy performance. The national average of 51.8% of buildings in the lowest energy classes (F and G) is exceeded in the following regions:

  • Lazio (65.6%)
  • Liguria (63.3%)
  • Tuscany (62.2%)
  • Umbria (61.7%)
  • Molise (61.5%)
  • Puglia (60.1%)
  • Calabria (57.8%)
  • Sicily (57%)
  • Emilia-Romagna (56.7%)
  • Basilicata (54%)

At the provincial level, energy inefficiency is most prevalent in:

  • Rieti (78.8%)
  • Enna (74.9%)
  • Isernia (72.4%)
  • Frosinone (71.3%)
  • Genoa (69.9%)
  • Terni (69.7%)
  • Viterbo (69.3%)
  • Massa-Carrara (68.6%)
  • La Spezia (66.6%)

"We are a country with old and inefficient homes," emphasised Marco Granelli, President of Confartigianato. "There is no time to waste: we must swiftly implement measures to support property renovations. Our goal, as outlined by the EU Directive, is to reduce energy consumption by 16% by 2030 and by 20-22% by 2035, ultimately achieving zero emissions by 2050. To facilitate this green transition, it is crucial to make the 65% tax deductions permanent, allowing us to address multiple objectives: renovating our housing stock, enhancing energy efficiency, protecting the environment, revitalising the construction sector, and tackling irregular activities."

Granelli further noted, "This approach aligns with the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec), which anticipates that the tax deduction mechanism for building renovations will yield a cumulative energy savings of 32.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) over the decade from 2021 to 2030, representing 44.3% of the savings required to meet the targets established by the Green Homes Directive for 2030."