Bonus edilizi e patrimonio culturale costruito, una politica sostenibile?

In recent years, improving energy efficiency in historic building stock has become a priority in European policies and government agendas. In Italy, the main instruments used to drive the sought-after ecological transition in the building sector are tax incentives, including the ‘Superbonus’ and ‘Ecobonus’, to name but a few. However, while these measures stimulate economic recovery and promote the modernisation of existing buildings, they can ‘threaten’ the preservation of historic buildings with their over-emphasis on achieving the best energy performance at all costs. As a matter of fact, the current energy-focused approach to tax incentives has neglected the broader concept of sustainability, which encompasses environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. This narrow view is further evident in the lack of a life cycle analysis perspective and neglect of context-specific needs in defining retrofit measures, resulting in the implementation of standardised solutions. This can cause a massive transformation of historic buildings with significant cultural and social implications, such as the loss of heritage values and collective identity. Numerous press-related appeals have raised concerns about the risks associated with the uncritical application of these incentives, especially for historic buildings not formally listed, highlighting the urgency of alternative strategies. Therefore, a different cultural framework is needed to overcome the drawbacks highlighted. In this regard, the paper offers a reflection on the UK’s experience, where similar issues have been effectively addressed by adopting a more balanced and integrated approach, namely the ‘Whole Building Approach’, which has been successfully included in the regulatory framework since 2021. Inspired by it, we advocate for a paradigm shift in Italy as well, in favour of a holistic approach that respects the material authenticity of historic buildings while meeting energy efficiency needs.