Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5.4.3
Prizes and Incentives for Energy Efficiency in Municipal
Building Codes
It is well known that the incentives are the most important tool for the develop-
ment and consolidation of the innovation technologies market; the case of pho-
tovoltaic panels market development in Italy following the incentives ''Conto
Energia'' in Italy have brought up to now a strong reduction of prices and the
widespread of the technology over the national territory (including the Sicilian
region), even if up to now the so called grid parity
12
has not yet been reached.
Incentives and prizes within the municipal building code are necessary to
support the widespread of energy efficiency measures that differently would have
too long return on investment times especially for privates.
Since public administrations are going through a major economic crisis in all
Europe and most critically in Euro Mediterranean regions and considered that any
kind of prize or incentive is currently turned into a reduced income for local public
administrations, it is fundamental an economic evaluation of the measures. The
latter must indeed be chosen so as to immediately produce a quantifiable return on
the investment in energy saving terms, in environmental benefit terms while giving
rise to a sustainable development of the territory.
The incentive must account for the applicability of the technologies on the base
of the existing urban planning tools, of the prevailing building typology as well as
the possible acceptation from the community of a certain type of intervention.
Indeed, for many of the actions that contribute to reaching the environmental
sustainability, it is fundamental the degree of involvement of the citizens, that on
one hand must be motivated by the economic interest, on the other must be
informed about the use of the technologies.
An analysis carried out by the manager of electrical services in Italy (Gestore
dei Servizi Energetici, GSE) not considering the national incentives, compares the
energy efficiency measures by means of the economic return for the investor
versus benefits for the community for avoided environmental costs.
The analysis shows, for example, that the substitution of shutters has too long
return on investment times, setting almost to zero the return for the investor.
Assuming the technical lifetime of the intervention of 30 years and the cost of the
investment per unit of glass shutters of around 400 €/mq, it can be easily seen that,
even with the current incentive of reduction of taxation of an amount equal to
65 % of the entire cost supported, considering an actualization rate of 5 %, the
return time of the investment is of 23 years. Such value is largely higher as
12
Grid parity occurs when an alternative energy source can generate electricity at a levelized
cost that is less than or equal to the price of purchasing power from the electricity grid. The term
is most commonly used when discussing renewable energy sources, notably solar power and wind
power. Reaching grid parity is considered to be the point at which an energy source becomes a
contender for widespread development without subsidies or government support. It is widely
believed that a wholesale shift in generation to these forms of energy will take place when they
reach grid parity (
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_parity
)
.
