The Italian Ministry of Economic Development is committed to increasing energy efficiency in small municipalities. The project was already discussed and budgeted for at the beginning of 2020 and the objective has remained unchanged, even though the crisis has forced both the country and the whole of Europe to review their priorities and investments for the near future. On July 2nd, the Ministry issued a decree allocating special funding for municipalities with less than 1000 inhabitants to improve their buildings’ energy efficiency. Subsequently, on 29th July, two new decrees were also issued, which offers a 110% incentive, also known as the Super-bonus, connected to the crisis Recovery Fund.
The decree for the energy efficiency of small municipalities
The decree signed by the Minister of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli provides a non-repayable grant of €19,329.89 for each municipality with less than 1,000 residents (there are 1940 across Italy), to be allocated to energy efficiency and sustainable territorial development projects. The budget set to cover the entire decree for the current year is €37 million. The municipalities wishing to benefit from these grants will have to start working on their assigned projects by November 15th of this year.
What do we mean by energy efficiency?
The contributions can be used for different types of projects. They range from energy saving in public buildings to energy efficiency in street lighting to the implementation of new forms of sustainable mobility to the installation of energy systems using renewable sources such as wind or solar power.
The Super-bonus and European objectives
The Super-bonus, which is assigned by the Commission and whose deadline falls on October 15th, is being funded through the European Recovery Fund, issued in response to the Covid crisis. One of the conditions for projects to access these funds is the achievement of the objectives outlined in the Energy and Climate Plan, which include, among other things, a considerable commitment to energy efficiency in public and private buildings in order to reduce emissions. The performance required to access the Super-bonus is of the highest level and the admission criteria are very strict, however, the Ministry has expressed confidence in the country’s ability to respond positively to this new challenge.