Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5.4.2
The Analysis of the Regulatory Framework in Energy
Efficiency and Energy Production from Renewables
Sources in Sicily
In the aim of identifying the constraining elements for the Guidelines it is required
to carry out the analysis of the regulatory framework on the topic of energy
efficiency in buildings and renewable energy sources installations in buildings.
In Sicily, at regional level, the regulatory framework is totally compliant with
the national framework.
The regional law n. 6, 23/03/2010 ''Norms supporting the building activity and
building heritage rehabilitation'' (the so called Piano Casa
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) was the first and
only regional norm dealing with the introduction in the building practice of sus-
tainability. Its applicability nonetheless is limited to few municipalities showing
special features. These are indeed located in large territories and have many
inhabitants, in such cases the political inertia is won by external stimuli: citizens,
professionals and business with knowledge and sensitivity to energy saving,
environmental sustainability and the related benefits.
Through the decree July 7th 2010, the region has issued a document for the
definition of the technical and building features for the interventions in green
building, enabling tool for the actions of the Piano Casa. Such indications refer to
the technical interventions to be used in case of demolitions and reconstructions of
the buildings, and if they are implemented according to the green buildings
techniques, it is prized by the local administrations by allowing a volumetric
increase of the building from 25 % up to 35 %. In the latter case, the building must
also install renewable energy systems allowing the complete coverage of energy
needs during a standard use of the building.
The main drawback of such document, that has probably limited its application,
is that it provides a set of actions concerning the energy issue, water, waste, health
and comfort, without giving technical specifications that can actually address
professionals thus allowing the municipal administration a suitable control over
the projects proposed by the privates. Moreover the cited document does not clear
out what are the minimum requirements that a building must hold to be defined
built in a ''sustainable way''. If, such as it happens in Sicily, the regional law
transposes the national law, without giving further indications about the local
context, the document containing the guidelines must compensate this gap in order
to meet the European and national requirements in the specific regional context.
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National law, whose first version was issued in 2009 (Berlusconi government) in order to
support the building sector offering the citizens the possibility to restore or enlarge the volume of
buildings with a strong simplification of burocracy, overcoming the local municipal urban plans
and introducing energy efficiency measures as a couterpart. Each italian region has then issued a
regional law, concerning the matter. In Sicily the possibility to benefit from such law is extended
till August 2014.
