Energy: in 4 years, savings equivalent to the power consumption of 2.5 million inhabitants; 5 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided
Milan, January 02, 2009
During the period between January 2005 and May 2008, over 800,000 low-consumption appliances, 21 million "high efficiency" light bulbs, and 230,000 m2 of solar panels for hot water production were installed in Italian households. Thanks to these and other measures, families ensured 80% of the total energy savings achieved with the "white certificates" (*). This is the result that comes out from the Authority's Third Annual Report on the "white certificates" (or "Energy Efficiency Certificates") mechanism, a system that is recording very positive results, supporting an increasingly efficient and intelligent use of energy. The Report shows the improvements of the energy efficiency in industrial processes, ( due to the installation of hundreds of new electric motors and frequency regulators, as well as dozens of cogeneration systems) and in the public sector (lighting systems are now more efficient thanks to the replacement of 420,000 lamps and the installation of automatic "consumption-reduction" regulating systems).
Italian versionConfirming the success of the "white certificates" market mechanism, in the first four years of application (from January 2005 to December 2008), the total savings have already exceeded 2 million tons of equivalent petroleum (TEP). Those savings correspond to the power production of a plant of more than 1,100 MW and to the domestic consumption of more than 2.5 million inhabitants, avoiding more than 5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
In terms of environment, the country benefited from high energy efficiency services, technologies, competitiveness and, where developed, energy savings and direct economic benefits for consumers. Considering incentives amounting to around 110 millions of euro disbursed by the Authority, the energy cost avoided by consumers (where the measures were applied) amounted to from 9 to 14 times the cost of the incentives themselves (for each unit of energy saved).
The "white certificates" mechanism is having an important role in developing the efficiency of energy services market; in making businesses and citizens aware of energy efficiency and rational energy use; in encouraging the development of the most cost-efficient measures; in guaranteeing the economic efficiency of the incentive, also through a growing use of "Exchange" trading. The system promoted a big spread of information to consumers, and thus of a greater awareness about energy savings, an essential element for developing the most efficient technologies.
With Resolution no. EEN 35/08 of 15 December 2008 (defined following the Ministerial Decrees of 20 July 2004 and 21 December 2007), the Authority also set the new 2009 energy savings goals for the 75 distributors, who are obliged to achieve said goals within the framework of the "white certificates" system.
(*) The "white certificates", also called "Energy Efficiency Certificates" (TEE), certify the attainment of energy savings through the application of efficient technologies and systems. They are issued by the Electricity Market Operator (GME) on the basis of the certifications (of savings achieved) made by the Authority. A certificate corresponds to the savings of 1 ton of equivalent petroleum (TEP), which is the conventional unit of measurement commonly used in energy balances to express all the energy sources, considering their heat content.
(The version published here is an abstract of the Italian language press release.)