More and more Italians are unable to heat their homes adequately during the winter months, and more than 2 million Italians are struggling to pay their energy bills. To do this, Italy needs to “increase the pace and intensity of renovation of buildings, especially the worst-performing ones.” Europe’s latest warning about Italian homes comes in the EU Commission’s annual report on the state of the Energy Union.
Energy poverty
One of the most sensitive passages in the section dedicated to our country is precisely that related to property: “In 2023, 4.1% of the Italian population had difficulty paying their bills and 9.5% could not keep their homes warm in winter (data increased compared to 2021)”, reads the document. This refers to home heating and air conditioning systems, which account for 80% of bill costs. Between 2021 and 2021, the EU as a whole reduced the final energy consumption of residential buildings by almost 19.6%, while in Italy this decrease was only 5%, while even the consumption of shops and offices increased by 2% (in the remaining countries, the EU decreased by 6.7%).
More fossil fuels, less renewable energy
The Commission states that around 378,000 heat pumps will be sold in our country in 2023, down 26% from the previous year’s sales, bringing the installed stock to around 4.1 million heat pumps. Addressing the bloc as a whole, Brussels warns that “energy efficiency efforts will need to go a step further to achieve the target of reducing final energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030.” However, it is clear that the warning is specifically directed at countries like ours. The Commission’s report shows that only 21% of the final consumption of Italian buildings comes from renewable sources. However, Brussels always emphasizes that the problem is broader in this respect.
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In fact, fossil fuels still represent 80 percent of the energy mix in Italy, above the European average of 69 percent. Only 20 percent comes from renewable sources. Italy’s electricity mix is also “dominated by fossil fuels,” representing 63.3 percent compared to the EU average of 38.6 percent. According to the report, our country ranks second in the EU in the production of photovoltaic panels.
Invoice node
Turning to the social issue linked to the energy transition, the Commission reiterates that bill prices remain too high. “We must quickly implement the new policy and regulatory framework to address high energy prices,” says Green Deal Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. On the social safety net front, in terms of the cost of the transition, the report also recalls that Italy, like the other twenty-six EU countries, has been called upon to submit its national social climate plan to Brussels “by June 2025”. The roadmap will allow it to access the Social Fund financing for climate, which will be established in 2026 and will mobilize around €86.7 billion by 2032. Italy has accessed up to €7.8 billion, 10.8% of the total contribution. Funds that can be used for renovations and to support the income of those who cannot pay their bills.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
