Conto Termico 3.0: AIEL's Proposals for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

AIEL, the Italian Agroforestry Energy Association, has put forward proposals for the improvement of Conto Termico 3.0, during the public consultation for the update of the rules for incentivizing small-scale interventions aimed at increasing energy efficiency and producing thermal energy from renewable sources.

These incentives are crucial to supporting the technological renewal of wood biomass generators, essential for improving air quality and increasing the share of renewable thermal energy.

Conto Termico 3.0: Only 40% of Available Funds Have Been Utilized

AIEL supports the inclusion of the new proposed interventions in the revision but suggests reviewing the eligibility conditions to avoid discrimination against "hybrid generators" and "micro-cogenerators" defined in Annex IV of Legislative Decree 199/2021.

Despite the potential of Conto Termico 2.0, only 40% of the available funds for private individuals were utilized last year. AIEL proposes simplifying access to incentives and overcoming some limits imposed on biomass, especially in the tertiary sector and process heat.

This is fundamental to achieving decarbonization goals, extending CT 3.0 to the production of thermal energy for production processes and for district heating and cooling networks.

One particularly affected sector is the hotel industry, especially in mountain areas, where facilities often have pools and wellness areas that do not replace obsolete systems due to the lack of incentives for the production of thermal energy for production processes. AIEL emphasizes that this disparity in incentives is not justifiable from an environmental perspective.

Conto Termico 3.0: The Need to Upgrade Renewable Energy Generators

Industries and craft businesses, such as carpentries, that use their own wood by-products to power biomass boilers, are also penalized. The replacement of obsolete boilers cannot benefit from the CT due to the mixed-use of heat.

AIEL highlights the need to upgrade renewable energy generators in district heating and cooling networks, many of which are now obsolete. This sector has significant development potential, especially in mountain areas.

“The process of revising Conto Termico is an important opportunity for the entire sector that AIEL represents,” says Valter Francescato, Technical Director of the Association. “This represents the opportunity to institutionalize the technical awareness that the best available wood biomass technologies have almost zero emissions and represent a concrete opportunity to decarbonize heating and production processes at competitive costs, particularly in mountain areas and for energy-intensive sectors such as hotels or small-medium industries and craft businesses.”