While waiting for the progressive disappearance of gas boilers from 2029 as indicated by Brussels and with the depots almost full (Italy is almost 95%), the heating season begins but always with a certain concern.
The gas bills of recent years have in fact cooled the sacrosanct habit of Italians of heating the house with gas, also switching to other forms: for example heat pumps. To establish the starting dates of the heating, there are precise zones and some, the coldest ones, have no limit on when they can be turned on. But the mayors can intervene as in Rome where the mayor established the lighting from November 15th despite being in climate band D, the one that can be switched on from November 1st.
Aeneas’s advice
To help citizens worried about heating costs, Enea provides two tools: an app to check consumption and a handbook. With the start of the heating season, Enea recommends first of all evaluating the replacement of the fuel boiler with an electric heat pump, thanks to the new web application which measures feasibility and convenience in a few minutes. «The app – explains Enea – allows you to easily evaluate whether the replacement can take place without modifying the plumbing system or the radiators, a condition that would allow you to obtain annual savings starting from 150 euros, in the case of replacing a methane boiler in a climate zone such as that of Padua, up to 433 euros, in the case of an LPG boiler installed in Catania», explains Nicolandrea Calabrese, head of the Enea Energy Efficiency in Buildings and urban development.
Heat pumps in fact represent an advanced solution not only for winter heating, but also for summer cooling and domestic hot water production. A recent Istat study found growth in the use of heat pumps (approximately +8% compared to 2021), especially in the north-west Italian side, which recorded the greatest increase. However, the report also highlights that 43.5% of Italian families, in searching for the best solution to meet their heating and cooling needs, use a mix of systems depending on the urgency of the moment.
Below are some Enea tips to optimize comfort and save on your bill:
– Replace the old system with a high efficiency heat pump and adopt chronothermostats, presence sensors and remote electronic regulators.
– Choose a qualified technician to evaluate the efficiency of the heating system and the state of the thermal insulation of walls and windows. It is possible to reduce consumption by up to 40%.
– Combine the heating boiler with a climate regulation system. Climatic thermoregulation intervenes through a “sliding” regulation of the water delivery temperature to the heating system based on external climatic conditions, allowing the desired room temperature to be maintained and limiting consumption by up to 25% for every 10° C less.
– Monitoring energy consumption through smart meters is essential to gain awareness of one’s consumption habits and to promptly identify any losses or malfunctions.
– Carry out maintenance on the systems. A system consumes and pollutes less when it is correctly regulated, clean and without limescale encrustations. Anyone who does not maintain their system will be fined starting from 500 euros.
– Check the temperature of the rooms and pay attention to the switch-on times. The maximum number of hours of activation varies, by law, based on the climate zone in which you are located.