EnergyPerformanceContractswithResultGuaranteeintheDolomites.

Cortinad’Ampezzo,alsoknownas“TheQueenoftheDolomites”,memberoftheconsortium

EnergyPerformanceContracts (EPC)withGuaranteeofResult (GR), forenergyrequalificationofbuildingsandpublicstreetlighting,atZerocostforpublicadministrations,alsobreachtheBellunoareaintheDolomites,amongthemostbeautifulmountainsintheworld.

Followingtwopublictenders,publishedbytheProvincialAdministrationofPadua,ascontractingauthority within the 3L Project (Less Energy, Less Costs, Less Impact), 29Municipalities of theBelluno provincewill be able to energetically redevelop 60 buildings and 17,000 street lightingpoints. To these are added10 technical institutes andhotel schools, ownedby the ProvinceofBelluno.

Theresultsobtainedareimportant:regardingthebuildings,mostlyschools,theESCothatwonthetender,EdisonFacilitySolutionsSpA,offeredover€11millionofinvestment,ofwhich€7millionformunicipalbuildingsandjustover€4millionreservedforprovincialschoolbuildings.

The ESCo guarantees 52% of overall energy savings, of which 5%, just under 90,000 €, asimmediate budget relief for all the consortium members. Following the award, each singleMunicipality and the Province will sign a contract with the Concessionaire, each for its ownbuildings.Attheendofthecontracts,lasting15years,100%ofthesavingswillbeattributabletotheconsortiummembers.

Onthepurelytechnologicalside,57%ofenergysavingswillbeachievedthroughinsulationofthebuildingenvelopes(windows,perimeterwalls,attics,roofs,floors),35%throughtheinstallationofeco-compatiblesystemsandtechnologies(thermostaticvalves,variablespeedelectronicpumps,condensing and biomass thermal units, LED lighting, regulation & remote management). Theremaining 8% of the proposed energy savings will take place with the installation of 9 solarthermal systems, 4 heat pumps for the production of domestic hotwater and 24 photovoltaicsystemsforatotalof180kWpeak.

TheproposedsystemforperformancecontrolandconsumptionaccountingisbasedonaBuildingEnergyManagementSystem,interfacedwithallbuildingsandadheringtotheguidelinesoftheInternationalPerformanceMonitoring&VerificationProtocol(IPMVP)).

Finally, themethods proposed for the implementation of behavioralmodification programs forthe school population, specifically required by the tender specifications, are valuable. Theseprograms include information campaigns, through a specific interaction plan that involves thecreationof awebportal andprofiles on themain socialmedia. Thedistributionof informationmaterial,trainingsessionsforteachersandstudentsonthesubjectofenergyefficiencyisplanned.Energy awarenessmeetingswill be heldwith citizens on the subject of energy saving, trainingcoursesforemployees,teachersandstudents;interdisciplinaryeducationalworkshopsandfinallythe organization of competitions between schools with the aim of transforming the schoolsthemselves, according to the level of education, into incubators for the development of a newmentalityorientedtowardssustainabilityandenergysaving.

Regardingthepublicstreetlighting,thecompanythatwonthetender,ServiziaRetesrl(SAR),putontheplatealmost7.3MillionsofEurosofinvestment,guaranteeing81%EnergySaving,ofwhich22% recognized to the Municipalities which, added to a reduction on the Operating andMaintenance costs of 16%, will lead to an immediate annual Budget Relief total of € 225,000,equalto18%ofthetotalhistoricalcostforEnergyandO&M.

The contracts, lasting15 years,will be signedbyeach singleMunicipality for the street lightingsystemsofitscompetence.Alsointhiscase,attheendofthecontracts100%ofthesavingswillbeattributabletotheindividualMunicipalities.

Ascompensation forenergysavingservices,eachmunicipalityand theprovincialadministrationitselfwillpaytotheESCoafeewhoseamountwillbeproportionaltotheenergysavingsactuallyachieved;soiftheactualsavingswillbelowerthantheguaranteedone,thefeewillbereducedbythe amount of the missed saving. Furthermore, in the event that at the end of each heatingseason,anenergysavinghigherthantheguaranteedoneisobtained,theeconomicequivalentofthe energy saved will be divided 50/50 between the individual public bodies and theconcessionaire.

Globally, for the twotenders, thepublicbodies involved in the initiative -29MunicipalitiesandtheProvincialAdministrationofBelluno-willseetheirconsumptionreduced,intermsofPrimaryEnergy, by over 20 million kWh/year, equal to 63 % of historical consumption. The monetarysavings recognized to the institutions will be almost € 273,000 which, added to the discountoffered on Operation andMaintenance, will lead to an immediate budget relief of € 314,000,equalto10%ofthehistoricalenergycostsofbuildingsandstreetlighting.

TheSavedEnergyCost isalsoexcellent: it ranges from5EuroCent/kWh forpublic lighting, to7EuroCent/kWhforbuilding redevelopmentagainstcurrentaveragecostsof8EuroCent/kWhforNaturalGas,10EuroCent/kWhforgas-oilandabout18EuroCent/kWhforelectricity.

Finally,itshouldbenotedthatthe3LProjectwasmadepossiblethankstoacontributionprovidedby theEuropean InvestmentBank,within theElena facility,used to cover90%of theTechnicalAssistancecosts,namely:executionofenergyaudits,determinationoftheenergyandeconomicbaselines, drafting the terms of reference, the contractual schemes, the system for offersevaluation,theproceduresformonitoring,verifyingresultsandreporting.TothesemustbeaddedafurthercontributionawardedbytheCariparoFoundationforthepreparatoryphaseandforthelastyearsoftheprogram.

SergioZabot-September2020