Energy efficiency: the incentive from grants is waning; cuts are casting a shadow over 2025
The Enea report on energy efficiency highlights that, between 2021 and 2025, savings were achieved that are comparable to the energy consumption of the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions
Renovation grants have been crucial for energy savings: they have generated energy savings of 2.67 Mtoe over the period 2021–2025, confirming their role as a key driver (around 52 per cent of total savings over the period stem from this source). However, in 2025, the reduced commitment to these incentives – which have been subject to cuts – will have a significant impact, and a marked decline is observed (0.24 Mtoe, down 37% compared with 2024).
In Italia, between 2021 and 2025, the energy savings achieved through monitored efficiency measures totalled 5.08 Mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent), equivalent to more than the annual electricity consumption of two industrial regions such as Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. This figure corresponds to 85 per cent of the interim target of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec), set at 6 Mtoe. All these figures are taken from Enea’s 15th Annual Report on Energy Efficiency, presented in Rome.
White certificates
According to the Report, the energy savings generated through White Certificates have declined, resulting in a reduction in consumption of approximately 0.115 Mtoe in 2025 (-4.5% compared with 2024), with a cumulative figure for 2021–2025 of 0.83 Mtep, in line with the Pniec’s interim estimates.
The ‘Conto termico’ scheme is a good thing
By contrast, savings encouraged through the Conto Termico scheme are set to rise, amounting to 0.131 Mtep in 2025 alone (for a cumulative total of 0.476 Mtep), whilst sustainable mobility measures show a slight decline (0.404 Mtep, down 6% on 2024), though they remain among the most significant contributors. Savings resulting from projects funded through cohesion funds remain broadly stable, amounting to approximately 0.022 Mtep in 2025, in line with the 2024 figure.
Mariotti: ‘Efficiency strengthens the economy’
“The data and analyses contained in the Report confirm that the value of energy efficiency goes beyond simply reducing consumption, as it generates economic, environmental and social benefits that reinforce one another,” emphasises Enea’s president, Francesca Mariotti. “In every sector, from businesses to public administration and right through to households,” she adds, “energy efficiency helps to improve competitiveness, sustainability and quality of life. It is precisely this ability to produce widespread effects that makes it one of the most effective tools today for strengthening the economic system and supporting sustainable growth, in a complex and rapidly evolving international context.”
