Renewable Heating and

Cooling in the Social

Housing Sector – Barriers
and Solutions

Anna Maria Pozzo – CECODHAS, The European Liaison Committee

for Social Housing
and
Federcasa, Federazione Italiana per la Casa
International Conference
Med Eco Quartiers
Athens, 17 april 2008

Leading the Energy Transition

• The residential sector accounts for 40% of
EU energy consumption in buildings with a
savings potential estimated by the European
Commission at 27%. This represents
potential CO2 savings estimated at 460
million tonnes, equivalent to 3.3 million
barrels of oil.

• The Social Housing Sector has the potential

to act as a catalyst to trigger this Energy
transition in the
22 June 2006
residential sector
CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Social Housing Sector: Key actors

• Diverse sector with wide variations between

systems and providers throughout the EU

• Main actors: Municipal Housing Companies,

Voluntary Housing associations and Housing
Cooperatives

• Common denominator: non-for-profit

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

% of Social Housing of total

housing stock by Country
UK 21
Sweden 23
Spain 1
Slovenia 4
Slovakia 4
Romania 1.6
Portugal 3
Poland 11
Netherlands 35
Malta 6
Luxembourg 2
Lithuania 2
Latvia 1
Italy 4
Ireland 7
Hungary 5
Greece 0
Germany 6
France 17
Finland 16
Estonia 3
Denmark 22
Czech rep 17
Cyprus 3
Bulgaria 2
Belgium 7
Austria 20
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Number of Social Dwellings by Country
6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0
AU BE CR DK ET FN FR DE EL HU IR IT LU NL PT ES SE UK

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Social Housing as % of total

number of dwellings in the EU

20 million social 2
10%

housing units
Over 10% of total
housing stock 1
90%

(187,5 million)

Statistics: European Social

Housing Observatory
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 WE ARE A GIANT BUT WE ARE NOT
SLEEPING!
Energy is one of the principal aims in the
Strategic program of Cecodhas
Size combined with long term
commitment to shielding residents from
rising utility bills mean that the social
housing sector has the will and the
potential to trigger the shift from pilot
projects to the mainstreaming of optimal
energy efficient practices – in other words
to trigger the energy transition
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

What is needed to fulfil this

potential?
Obstacles and solutions specific to the sector have
been identified through the CECODHAS Energy
Experts Network & Tackobst (Intelligent Energy
Europe Project)

Financial support and new financial schemes

Knowledge sharing, capacity building,

organisational support, training and awareness
raising
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Finance for Mainstreaming
Technologies and know-how:
The technologies and know-how required to
refurbish and build housing with optimal
consumption levels exist and have been
showcased in many demonstration projects but
need to be mainstreamed. Training is a vital to
trigger this mainstreaming as is finance:
Need for innovative financing schemes:
More innovative financing schemes are needed
with accessible information on investment
paybacks. Energy saving measures are
sometimes cut out of plans if projects show signs
of running over budget due to a lack of clear data
to show the added value and the savings to be
22 June 2006 made. CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Knowledge Exchange
Lack of European dimension at national level
despite growing demand from professionals:
national information information campaigns do not have a
regular, structured European dimension despite the
demand from housing professionals to find out how their
peers are working in other European countries and to
exchange know-how, advice and warnings.

This need for knowledge sharing is particularly

urgent for New Member States where the lack of
maintenance of dwellings means that energy waste
levels are excessive and the need for the transfer of
know-how and expertise is vital.
This is particularly urgent in view of the eligibility of
housing refurbishment for structural funds support in new
Member States.
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Synergies and Communication
More potential for Synergies between key
actors:
At national and European level, initiatives between
different bodies connected to the building and social
housing management sectors are disjointed, there is a
need for actors linked to the building sector from public,
private and research education spheres to maximise
synergies;
Need for bottom-up and top-down
communication on EU legislation:
The growing impact of EU legislation on the work of
housing, in particular the EPBD directive, implies a need
for more information and training to assist professionals in
the implementation of EU legislation. However at EU
policy level there is a need for more feedback on the
impact of EU regulation to ensure that plans correspond to
22 June 2006
the needs on CECODHAS
the ground.
at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Training Needs
Training /awareness raising adapted to
all operation levels
Directors/Decision makers
Technicians
Staff in direct contact with residents
Housing/Condominium Managers
Resident representatives
Residents (key to success)

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Our Objective

CECODHAS to help overcome these obstacles is

where relevant lobbying at EU level & promoting
exchange and knowledge transfer through its
network of 46 national and regional federations and
22,000 local housing organisations.

Conference: Ancona 21st & 22nd April: ‘Social

Housing Organisations: Saving Energy, Promoting
renewables to tackle fuel poverty’

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 The Italian case
The actors of the Housing
• Europe 22 million dwellings
• Italy 1 million dwellings of which
450,000 constructed before the years
` 80
• 20 Regions
• 104 provinces
• 8123 Municipality 240,000 dwellings
111 Public SH Companies 760,000
dwellings

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Italy – The framework: Housing

• The SOCIAL CONTEXT
– Increase of the persons living alone
– Increase of the ageing population
– inner Migration of the workers and of the students
• THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
RUNNIG COSTS
– energetic Crisis
– High polluting of atmosphere
• The ECONOMIC CONTEXT
– “Home poverty”
– High running costs
THE HOUSING OFFER IS INADEQUATE ENERGY COSTS

WE NEED A NEW COMFORTABLE

EFFECTIVE EFFICIENT PRODUCT
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Energy and Social Housing
Estimation of the number of dwellings in need of
energetic requalification:
Dwellings constructed before 1980
60% of the real estate
Approximately 450.000 dwellings
Deficiency of Financial resources and impossibility
to recover the investment on the rent
Search of financings
use of incentives and fiscal deductions
Difficulty of start of operations with Financing through
Thirds Party
Necessity of guarantees against the arrearage
Need of agreement with the renters

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Italy : the Framework

Row of the productive system Italian
Crucial points of the technical and
productive system:
Small and very small enterprises (in particular in
building)
managerial Deficiencies
formative Deficiency
Scientific & technical Deficiency
Deficiencies in the protection of the consumer
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Budget Law 2008 – evolution of
national Policies
Energetic efficiency of the buildings
energetic Certification of the buildings
Incentives for the energetic requalification of
the buildings
fiscal Incentives (deduction 55% from the taxes)
Incentives for the development of
renewables
water Saving

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Implementation of EPBD directive

in Italy
• At national level, the decrees 192/2005 and
311/2006 have introduced:
– more restrictive standards for energy
consumption in new buildings and refurbished
buildings (thermal insulation, efficiency of the
thermal plant, mass of the roof in high solar
radiation area).
– duty of provide energy certification of buildings,
with different starting dates depending on the
building type in 2008
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Implementation of EPBD directive
in Italy
• The same decrees have introduced:
– duty of install renewable energies systems in
new buildings, covering a minimum quota of the
total energy need
– within 1/7/2007, national guidelines for energy
certification should be published. Regions must
publish energy certification rules on the basis of
national guidelines.
• Up to now national guide lines have not been published
and a transition system is in use.
• several Regions have published anyway the roles for
energy certification, sometimes adding other
requirements (for example, use of renewable sources
or imposing energy consumption standards more
22 June 2006 restrictive CECODHAS
then national standards)
at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Strategic Objectives
integrated in the policies of the housing

New policy of the sector :

• Reform of urban planning and finding of areas
for the social Housing
• New instruments for the realization of rented
Housing at moderate rent
• Policy of incentives for the control of the rents
• Support to the public social Housing
• Way to social cohesion, integrated and
sustainable urban requalification
• Promote the modernization of the building sector
• new Building Sustainability and Quality
• Energetic Efficiency
22 June 2006
of the buildings
CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Role of the public companies
for the performance of the Housing policies
Because they are companies that cure the
PERSONS and the REAL ESTATE, strongly feel
the need to change and have chosen to promote, to
plan and to realize sustainable participations.
Because they are managers of real estate the
companies can propose itself in order to take part
on all residential and not residential public estate
renovation Operation
They Are PUBLIC COMPANIES that have the
objective the definition of Housing Policies at 360°
and they propose itself to the Public Administration
with an integrated and oriented to the sustainability
22 June approach
2006 (social, environmental,
CECODHAS at the Regional Officeeconomic).
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Mission – Sustainability
• SOCIAL SUSTAINABILTY

• ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILTY

• ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILTY

These “sustainabilities” are the aim of

NEW RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTION AND
ENERGETIC REFURBISHMENT OF OLD BUILDINGS
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Soustainable Home
• In the various Italian experiences the
Companies have defined the own
GUIDE LINES for the planning and the
construction of the IDEAL HOUSE,
one SUSTAINABLE HOUSE with "a
glo-cal" approach (to think globally and
to act locally).

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Urban Regeneration –
Building Requalification
URBAN REGENERATION

• Social Regeneration
• Improvement of the condition of health and security
• More services, more public greens areas, more infrastructures
• Improvement of the Transport System
• Environmental Sustainability
• We need
– new parameters more complex of the traditionally used for the real
estate
– Global Budget social, economic and environmental
(energetic expenses sure is those immediately perceptible)
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Work of SH Italian Operators:
some examples
• We will present some examples of
operations recently developed by Italian
Public SH Operators
– New building
• Brescia, Orzinuovi
• Torino, Vinovo
– In the framework of urban regeneration
programs
• Padova
• Torino
• Ancona

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 The operation in Orzinuovi
The cost ceiling (2003)

For the operation the respect of the regional cost ceiling was
previewed that at the moment previewed a maximum of euro
878/ m2 of total surface (sc=su+snr+sp)

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Orzinuovi:
the Aims
• The basic concept:
– to use the energy of the Sun in winter and to
protect the interior from the Sun in summer
– To use for how much possible renewable
materials (wood, cork)
– To produce the warm water with the solar energy
– To heat to low temperature
– To favour the formation of a local microclimate
with the system of the external green

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
temp. alloggi temp. esterna
10,1°C 4,9°C

ghiaccio
sull’asfalto
temp. serra
21,4°C
The results : temperatures
22 June 2006 in Office
CECODHAS at the Regional a winter day
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Torino, Olympic Village

at Vinovo
• Two equal buildings, one in traditional
technologies and an other in
bioclimatic technologies allow the
comparison of the results and of the
savings you achieving
• the two buildings are part of one of the
Olympic Villages constructed for the
winter Olympic Games of 2006
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Vinovo: The scheme

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Padova, Savonarola District,
refurbishment of Social Housing
building
• Realization of a winter garden, operation for energy
saving and saving water saving, formation of a fito-
depuration system and recycling of rainwater and
of storm sewage

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Padova,
Savonarola District
• The core of the operation concern the re-
organisation of the open spaces and the
positioning of numerous social equipments
and shops.
• is previewed the transformation of one of the
residential courts in winter garden of by
means of one glazed cover.

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Padova,
Savonarola District
the greenhouse
• The glazed cover is sliding and
adjustable to allow the control of its
energetic operation in the different
seasons of the year.
• The greenhouse in fact works like an
enormous bio-climatic device at the
service of the buildings that encircle it.
• The structure, light and transparent,
constructs a strongly innovative but
respecting
22 June 2006 image of theat context
CECODHAS the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Torino,
District Contract of Via Arquata
• A complex of years 1940, with one
planimetry in form of court and buildings still
good constructive and architectonic quality,
but characterized from degradation and
feeling of abandonment of the inhabitants, in
spite of the proximity with the city centre

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Torino, Arquata District
THE ENERGY SAVING OPERATION
N° buidings 30
ATC building
N° dwellings 622

Superficie totale 110.000 m2

Sup. “POLYCITY” 87.500 m2

Popolazione coinvolta 2.500/2.600

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Torino, via Arquata

District Eating Net
District Eating Net
Buildings involved

CO
MP
LE
TA
TA
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Torino, via Arquata
Photovoltaic
• The main operations previewed from the
project are:
– Installation of photovoltaic system for one total
power of 100 kwp (buildings involved:16);
– substitution of approximately 500 windows with
low-emission frames (been involved 30 buildings);
– Installation of lamps at high efficiency for the
lighting system of the common spaces;
– Computerized manager of the energetic flows

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Torino, via Arquata

Photovoltaic System

SEDE ATC

District: 100 kWp

16 Buildings

EDIFICI IN CUI E’
PREVISTO
L’IMPIANTO
FOTOVOLTAICO
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Ancona Piazza Aldo Moro
Urban Regeneration
Number of units
concerned:
150 new dwellings;
216 dwellings
refurbishment

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Ancona Piazza Aldo Moro

Urban regeneration
• The main operation previewed
are:
• development of techniques of bio-
building (use of natural material,
rainwater’s recovery some for
irrigation, etc).;
• production of clean energy and
energy saving (co-generation
system, electric power production
with photovoltaic panels).

22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office

of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Ancona Piazza Aldo Moro
Urban regeneration

• Requalification of a degraded and abandoned city

area;
• realization of social Housing units;
• realization of publics spaces and improve the services
of the entire District
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006

Perspectives: look to the future

• To elaborate a environmental budget of the building
• To complete the picture of analysis and of energetic certification
of the buildings including also the energetic requirements related
to the use of systems of cooling, electric power, etc...
• To use and to experiment innovative technologies (es. led,
Domotic, co-generation)
• To reduce the consumptions and waste it of water
• To improve the comfort, healthness of the indoor atmosphere
(es. Legionella)
• To optimize the ventilation systems
• To introduce materials and compatible technologies
environmentally guaranteed and certified (LCA, Protocol ITACA,
Ecoabita)
• To educate, to inform and protect the citizens (good practices,
energy agencies)
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006
 Thank you for your attention ☺

Cecodhas
Contact: sorcha.edwards@cecodhas.org
Website: www.cecodhas.org

Federcasa
Contact: a.pozzo.@federcasa.it
Website: www.federcasa.it
22 June 2006 CECODHAS at the Regional Office
of Pomorskie Voivodeship 2006