The fifth edition of the National Conference on Energy Poverty has strongly confirmed a fact that is now inescapable: energy poverty is not an emergency phenomenon, but a structural issue that questions the country on a social, climatic and territorial level.
Luca Benedetti, Director of the Studies and Statistics Department of the GSE, opened the proceedings, framing the phenomenon through an emblematic figure: the annual energy expenditure of a typical family, stable at around 3,000 euros until 2021, rose to over 4,000 euros after the 2022 price crisis, never to return to previous levels. An increase that has made it clear how much energy is now a factor of systemic vulnerability.
Roberta Ranieri of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security stressed that energy poverty is now a matter of justice in the ecological transition. With over 2 million families involved, the goal can no longer be the emergency response alone, but the structural prevention of vulnerability.
The Social Climate Plan fits in this direction, with a budget of over 9 billion euros and three main axes: construction, transport and technical assistance. Targeted interventions on less efficient buildings, innovative tools such as the “mobility account” for underserved areas and governance based on territorial counters and public consultation represent the pillars of a design that aims to integrate energy, climate and social policies.
In terms of measuring the phenomenon, Benedetti recalled the need to distinguish between statistical monitoring and identification of policy beneficiaries: two sets that never coincide perfectly and that require more sophisticated methodological tools, also thanks to ongoing European projects.
The most up-to-date data, presented by Luciano Lavecchia of the Italian Observatory on Energy Poverty (OIPE), speak of about 2.4 million households involved in 2023. The phenomenon has steadily affected 8-9% of Italian families for over twenty years. Particularly alarming is the condition of minors — over one million — and families with a foreign reference person, exposed to a risk four times higher than the average. Among the critical issues that emerged: existing but poorly coordinated tools and bonuses that reach only a limited share of potential beneficiaries.
The territory as a decisive junction
The first round table focused on the role of municipalities. Giada Maio (ANCI) highlighted the gap in access to energy data and the lack of internal skills in administrations. Local energy governance requires managerial skills, data reading skills and coordination between institutional levels. Resources exist, but they are fragmented and often do not communicate with each other.
Estella Pancaldi (GSE) recounted the tutoring activity aimed at over 6,500 public administrations, underlining how energy efficiency can become a transversal lever to free up resources to be reinvested in social services. Energy, more than an end, can be an enabling tool.
On the territorial analysis front, Francesco D’Oria (RSE) illustrated the work of risk mapping at the sub-municipal level, also developed with the Municipality of Parma: without territorializing the phenomenon, he recalled, policies risk being correct in principle but ineffective in practice.
The one-stop shops for energy requalification were presented by Francesca Hugony (ENEA) as integrated tools of technical, financial and social accompaniment, with a strong role of public coordination. A lever that is still underdeveloped in Italy, but strategic for reaching vulnerable families.
The European framework was outlined by Chiara Massarotto of the European Commission, who retraced the regulatory evolution from 2018 to today: from the official definition of energy poverty in the Energy Efficiency Directive to the Social Climate Fund, up to the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), a reference platform for supporting municipalities.
The speech of Marco Suber (AISFOR) focused on EPAH technical assistance, presenting the third call for technical assistance aimed at local authorities, with dedicated support in the diagnosis, planning and implementation phases.
The testimonies of the territories gave substance to the debate: from the path of the Municipality of Arezzo illustrated by Alessandro Forzoni, to the itinerant desk of Roma Capitale told by Edoardo Zanchini, up to the integrated strategy of Parma presented by Simona Acerbis. Particularly significant is the experience of the small municipality of Serrenti, described by Maurizio Musio, an example of how internal skills and vision can radically transform the relationship between administration and energy.
In closing, Silvia Pedrotti recalled the role of the Banco dell’Energia Foundation and the importance of training and collaboration with the Third Sector, introducing the concept of energy justice as a cultural horizon: not assistance from above, but the construction of conditions of equal access to energy.
The morning gave a clear message: energy poverty can be fought with more precise data, integrated policies and leading territories. Without coordination and a shared vision, the transition risks being only technological. With the involvement of local communities, it can become truly equitable.