Italy's plan to save over 5 billion cubic meters of gas this winter

Mite presented a plan to avoid the consumption of 5.3 billion cubic meters of gas next winter:burning more coal.

• The plan of the Ministry of Ecological Transition aims to save 5.3 billion cubic meters of gas.
• 2.1 billion will come from the use of other sources, such as coal, the others from reducing consumption.
• Another billion in savings could come from the virtuous behavior of citizens.

Between now and March 2023, Italy aims to save up to 5.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas, by maximizing the production of electricity from fuels other than gas (approximately 2.1 billion) and savings related to the containment of heating (approx 3.2 billion), to which are added behavioral measures to be promoted through awareness campaigns aimed at user citizens.

The plan provides for it National plan to contain natural gas consumption, announced today by Ministry of Ecological Transition, which complies with the decisions of the European Energy Council of last 26 July:at that time it was in fact established that each member state would have to adopt voluntary measures to reduce national gas consumption by at least 15 percent compared to the average for the same period of the previous five years.

More space for coal, fuel oil and bioliquids 

With regards to the diversification of the fuels used, Mite states that, at the moment, electricity production is consuming more natural gas than in similar periods in previous years, due to very high electricity consumption and the concurrent low production of hydroelectric plants. .

To reduce gas consumption, we read in the plan, "a further diversification contribution compared to the contribution of renewables can be obtained by maximizing the production of electricity from plants that use fuels other than gas (coal, fuel oil and bioliquids), already supported today by the high prices of electricity on the market".

In particular, maximizing the coal and oil production of existing power plants would contribute to a reduction of approximately 1.8 billion Smc, the standard cubic metre. Another 290 million cubic meters would be saved by replacing them with i bioliquids, temporarily authorizing the diesel operation of the relevant systems.

Radiators off for more hours and less hot

However, those that will have a more direct impact on the lives of citizens will be the measures to contain winter heating, which through a ministerial decree of Mite will introduce limits on the temperature in the rooms, the daily hours of switching on and the duration of the heating period, which are added to the limits already decided on the heating of public buildings.In particular, the decree will provide that:

• the maximum temperature limit of radiators is reduced by one degree, and brought to 17 degrees, with a tolerance of 2, for buildings used for industrial, artisanal and similar activities;at 19 degrees, with 2 degrees of tolerance, for all other buildings;
• the operating limits of the heating systems are reduced by 15 days as regards the switch-on period (postponing the start date by 8 days and bringing forward the end date by 7 days) and by one hour as regards the daily switch-on duration, which varies depending on the geographical range to which it belongs .

From these measures the saving of 3.2 billion cubic meters of gas, the Meek admits, is alone estimated, "since it is not possible to have a system of timely control of the behavior of widespread users":in any case "it will however be possible, in addition to random checks on public buildings, large commercial premises, points of greatest consumption, to make the operators of central heating systems responsible, monitoring the response of users at the level of city gas distribution networks using the hourly withdrawal data at the connection points between the city distribution networks and the redelivery points of the Snam transport network which are constantly monitored".Hospitals, nursing homes and all other sensitive users are excluded from the new limits.

The good habits of citizens

A third series of measures from which to obtain gas savings, explains Mite, are behavioral ones, which can be divided into zero-cost measures and measures that require an initial investment.In fact, they are those in which the citizen is the protagonist.The zero-cost behavioral measures, explains the Mite plan, "can be implemented through an awareness campaign, with the support of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Aeneas, the national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development in order to suggest a series of virtuous behaviors that can also contribute to limiting energy consumption with a reduction in users' bill costs and also positive impacts on the environment.

Among the behaviors to be promoted are those of reduction in temperature and duration of showers, the use also for winter heating of electric heat pumps used for summer air conditioning, thelowering the heat after boiling and the reduction of the oven ignition time, luse of a fully loaded dishwasher and washing machine, unplugging the washing machine when not in use, switching off or turning on the low consumption function of the refrigerator when on holiday, do not leave TV, decoder or DVD on standby, the reduction of the hours in which light bulbs are switched on.

Efficiency measures 

Further savings, concludes the Ministry of Ecological Transition, can be achieved with behavioral measures that require even small investments on the part of users, for example with investments for replacement of higher consumption appliances with more efficient ones, replacement of air conditioners with more efficient ones, installation of new electric heat pumps to replace old gas boilers, installation of solar thermal panels to produce hot water, replacement of traditional light bulbs with LED ones.Enea has calculated a saving of around 1 billion Smc with these measures which, Mite recalls, already largely fall into assisted scheme, such as bonuses and tax deductions.