Energheia

Model of collective condominium self-consumption.

Description

With the Energheia project, Acea Pinerolese has developed Italy’s first model of collective condominium self-consumption, which was implemented in Pinerolo in May 2021. The condominium on Via Cittadella in Pinerolo, a “demonstration building” of the European Horizon 2020 project Buildheat, is nearly autonomous in terms of energy for heating and cooling, with 90 percent of its needs met by self-consumption of energy produced by photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. The building is insulated using ventilated facade technology, and a rooftop heat pump utilizes energy from the photovoltaic system to provide heating and cooling.

The electricity generated by the photovoltaic system is also shared and exchanged among individual condominium apartments in a Collective Self-Consumption framework, powering individual utilities. To date, around 30 self-consumers have been implemented.

Why is it important?

The project is highly innovative, as it represents a concrete model of energy transition, implemented for the first time in Italy. It simultaneously achieves objectives of social inclusion, energy and economic savings, increased use of renewable energy, and energy independence.
It introduces the concept of an energy community on a condominium scale, more precisely defined as AUC (Collective Condominium Self-Consumption). The first such condominium in Italy was inaugurated in May 2021 in Pinerolo, representing a national best practice in both social and environmental terms.
This first operational Collective Self-Consumption Condominium, or the first Condominium Energy Community in Italy, is a significant step forward in the energy transition, aligned with Renewable Energy Communities. The energy efficiency improvements of the building were carried out by Acea Energie Nuove (Acea Pinerolese Energia Srl) as part of the Energheia project, in joint venture with Tecnozenith, and in collaboration with the Energy Center of the Polytechnic University of Turin. After this initial model, Acea Pinerolese Energia expanded in 2023, realizing around thirty condominiums across the provinces of Turin and Cuneo, involving over 1,000 families.
The first condominium, located on Via Cittadella in Pinerolo, served as the “demonstration building” for the European Buildheat project under Horizon 2020. It was Italy’s first collective self-consumer building. It is nearly autonomous in terms of energy requirements for heating and cooling, with 90% of its needs met by self-consumed energy from photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. The building is insulated using ventilated facade technology. A heat pump on the roof uses photovoltaic energy to produce hot or cold water.
These two systems, in summary, provide domestic hot water, heating for the apartments in winter, and cooling in summer, while powering the heat pump and producing electricity for the building and individual apartments. The condominium only relies on a minimal amount of gas or electricity from external networks—about 10%—during extreme cold spells. It also has a 13 kWh battery pack to maximize self-consumption.

Here are the key details of this intervention:

• 20 kW photovoltaic system and solar thermal system for domestic hot water production on the roof
• Reversible heat pump of 83 kW for heating, 71 kW for cooling
• New substation for integration of different energy production systems
• Installation of 13 Enerboxx units for thermal distribution and water heating, with monitoring in each apartment
• Remote BMS (Building Management System) for reading and managing all building systems and energy parameters
• Expected energy savings of 39% for domestic hot water and 74% for heating
• Prefabricated ventilated facade installation for external wall insulation
• New windows

Each tenant has an interactive screen in their apartment connected to the BMS system, which controls the temperature in each room based on schedules and the different uses of spaces. The BMS system also allows tenants to track their electricity and thermal consumption (from Enerboxx units for hot water, heating, and cooling) and manage the mechanical fan-coils.

The building’s automation system, which manages the different energy and thermal needs of the 10 housing units throughout the day, results in significant energy savings.

This marks a pivotal turning point for Italy. The Pinerolo condominium is the first Collective Self-Consumption Condominium in Italy, an unprecedented example that opens up previously unimaginable prospects in terms of energy bill savings. Considering that there are 1.2 million condominiums in Italy, housing 20 million people, this savings can extend nationally. The more renewable energy that is produced, self-consumed, and shared, the lower the costs for energy and structural system expenses, which can be significantly reduced through energy communities.

This model not only leads to significant energy consumption savings but also substantial savings in heating and electricity costs for the families living in these condominiums, proving to be an effective tool in the fight against energy poverty.

Project and Acronym: Energheia
Innovation Cluster to contact: Clever
Topics: Collective Self-Consumption / Condominium Energy Communities
Acknowledgements received:Civil Economy Ambassador Company Award for the Energheia Project

 

Lead Company:

Acea Pinerolese Industriale Spa
comunicazione@aceapinerolese.it/ | www.aceapinerolese.it