Energy Efficiency of Social Housing

Currently, at least half of residential energy consumption is made up of wastes that could be avoided using economically mature technologies. In fact, some recent studies point out that 45% of national energy cinsumtion is caused by inefficient residential use. By reducing wastes and increasing efficiency, it is possible to obtain not only the maximum possible reduction of CO2 emissions with the same amount of investments, but also the reduction of imports of fossil fuel in a directly proportional measure. A good example of building redevelopment based on this assumption is given by the town of Padova that starting in 1998, through its Housing Department, has implemented initiatives to improve the quality of some urban settlements. The aim was to work both on the social environment and the housing, with the purpose of redeveloping them both in terms of type and energy consumption. The tool used to implement the redevelopment is the District Contract (Contratto di Quartiere), which, among the forms of planned and negotiated contribution, is the most advanced project tool to enhance the integration of local planning, environmental and social sustainability functions.