Name of organisation: Unica Soc. Coop. Firenze
Stage of development: completed
Year of finalization: 2011
Type of project: refurbishment
Area: suburban
Scale: individual buildings
Type of building: Apartment in a block of six to ten stories
Number of units/dwellings: 38
Tenure: cooperative ownership
Street: Via dei Querci, 2
Postcode: 50142
City: Firenze
Region/ County: Toscana
Country: Italy
Last Update: 03.03.2015
This study case is interesting since it represent an example of application of Energy Performance Contract by a Social Housing company. Social Housing companies made an energy assessment based on the heatinconsumption data and following the prescription of national regulation. The assessment included proposals for energy retrofit of the building, which was in need of maintenance work of the façades. The total cost for this maintenance work was equal to € 361.000,00.
The Social Housing company has proposed to add extra energy retrofitting measures to those already planned for the façades, with the following methodology:
• the Social Housing company makes the tender specifications, which include the thermal insulation of walls with external cladding and the substitution of the existing gas boiler with a new, energy efficient one. The costs related to those two have been considered as extra-costs
• the Social Housing technicians provide technical/administrative services: selection of the supplier, supervision of retrofitting works, assistance provision to the flat owners to access financial subsides.
These services are considered as an extra-cost, and they are equal to 107.000,00 €.
Then, the Social Housing company finances the extra- costs for the energy retrofit measures, as an ESCO, so the technicians estimated energy savings basing on the results of the building energy audit, accounting for 20-22 %, with reference to the gas consumption for the past two years prior to the intervention. This datum is set in the Energy Performance contract signed between the Social Housing company and the condominium, and it corresponds to 46.000 gas mc/year. It is possible to envisage an annual economic saving of approximately 9.200 €, with a payback period which stood at 12 years, considerably less than the average life times of the boiler and of the façades.
Concerning the Energy Performance Contract:
If the fuel savings will be greater than 20%, the payback will be shorter and the condominium will begin to enjoy the savings directly before the end of the twelfth year. In the meantime, flat owners keep paying for energy as in 2010: 46.000 mc natural gas/ year.
The energy savings, that means the difference between the actual consumption and 46.000 mc and the average gas consumption for the past two years prior to the intervention are measured through periodic monitoring and is billed by the Social Housing company to the condominium. The savings will be always considered in terms of energy savings (gas mc) and not in terms of economic savings, because the gas tariff varies quarterly.
The flat owner doesn’t have extra costs for the energy retrofit, but will benefit of better comfort from the beginning and of lower energy costs after the extra investment has been repaid. The extra-costs represent about the 22% of the investment.
Update December 2014:
During the first heating season, due to some shortcomings in the management of central heat and a general misuse of the central itself, the gas savings was only 14,70% compared to pre-intervention, while in the second year was of 22,50%, and in the third year (October 2014) they are around 25%.
Certification
Before the renovation:
After the renovation:
Project Management
Unica made an energy assessment based on the heating consumption data and following the prescription of national regulation. The assessment included proposals for energy retrofit of the building, which was in need of maintenance work of the facades.
Unica has proposed to add extra energy retrofitting measures to those already planned for the facades, with the following methodology:
For what concern the payback of the investment:
This way the flat owner doesn’t have extra costs for the energy retrofit, but will benefit of better comfort from the beginning and of lower energy costs after the extra investment has been repaid.
Since in Italy there is not much experience of this type of energy services, signing the agreement required a long preparation work with many meetings with the flat owners.
Thermal Insulation
External walls have been cladded with Graphite-EPS (lamda = 0,031 W/mK), thickness 9 cm. The entire system has been insured.
Heating and Hot Water
The old heat generator (gas boiler) hab been replaced with a new one (3 star, 190,4 kW of nominal power, thermal performance 94,5 – 97,5%). The work included the renovation of all the accessories; new exhausted fumes duct in stainless steel; new electric system in the heater room.
Monitoring
Click here to access the monitoring data on the HIVE Database!
Funding
Energy efficient measures table:
Energy efficiency measure | Ir | Iee,brutto [€] | Iee,netto [€] | Life time [years] |
[€] | ||||
Thermal insulation of the façades | - | 361 000 | 39 000 | 40 |
Boiler replacement The work included the renovation of all the accessories; new exhausted fumes duct in stainless steel; new electric system in the heater room | - | 25 000 | 25 000 | 20 |
Other services (selection of the supplier, supervision of the retrofitting works, assistance provision to the flat owners to access financial subsides, energy certification after the renovation) | - | 43 000 | 43 000 | - |
Total | 468 000 | 429 000 | 107 000 |
|
Running costs | 9 200 | 9 200 | 9 200 |
|
Simple payback time | 50 | 47 | 12 | 30 |
Ms Rossana Zaccaria
Legacoop Abitanti - The Italian Federation of Housing Cooperatives
E-mail: r.zaccaria@ancab.coop
Web: www.legacoopabitanti.coop