The work illustrates the current national regulatory framework for improving the energy efficiency of buildings and provides data on the characteristics of Italian homes and their occupants. It summarizes the literature on the costs and benefits of energy efficiency investments and the role of the public sector, financial intermediaries and the private sector and offers some suggestions for designing public interventions aimed at promoting improved energy efficiency based on Italy's and other countries' experience.
The work highlights the need to increase data availability to both correctly design policy measures and develop market solutions. Public intervention should prioritize less well-off families and focus on those measures best suited to improving energy efficiency. It also suggests supplementing tax incentives with other instruments and providing adequate and reliable coverage.
