Although in Italy there are specific rules on the periods within which it is possible to turn radiators on and off, individual municipalities are authorized to modify national directives. For those who live in Lombardy it is good to know that there are some new features for the current year turning off the heating in Milan. In fact, an ordinance has been issued which reduces the period of use of heating systems by 15 days and sets the shutdown for 8 April 2024. Let’s see, specifically, what the 2024 municipal regulation on heating in Milan says.
Climate zones and heating rules in Italy
In Italy, the directives for turning on radiators and turning off heating systems are established by law, in particular through the Decree of the President of the Republic 74/2013 which identifies the different climatic zones of the territory. The division into climatic zones in Italy, with related provisions on the use of heating systems, was designed to guarantee an adequate response to different climatic needsallowing longer heating periods to regions normally subject to colder temperatures during autumn and winter.
For example, Milan and the whole of Lombardy fall into the Zone E which, according to the law, provides for the possibility of starting the heating from 15 October to 15 April, for a maximum of 14 hours a day and with a maximum temperature set on the radiators of 20 degrees. However, since national provisions on heating can be modified by ordinance of individual municipalities, for the 2024Milan has chosen to adopt a different approach, reducing both the overall duration of the heating season and the daily hours of operation of the heating systems and the maximum accepted temperature.
This decision was made with the aim of promoting the energy saving and the reduction of emissions pollutants. If you are in Lombardy, however, it is good to specify that the provisions of the ordinances issued for Milan do not automatically extend to its province, where the rules of Zone E continue to be in force, except for any specific ordinances issued by individual municipalities.
Ordinance 2024 for heating in Milan: what is it?
As already mentioned, therefore, the 2024 rules relating to turning on heating in Milan and turning off systems in the same municipality find space in aorder which changed the period of use of winter air conditioning systems, reducing it by 15 days, along with restrictions on the times within which the systems can remain in operation and on the temperatures to be maintained within the city.
Specifically, the period during which the use of heating systems is permitted begins October 22 and ends April 8, 2024: there is therefore an overall decrease of 15 days compared to the standard thermal season, with a postponed start (22 October instead of 15 October as required by law) and an early end (8 April instead of 15 April).
The timetables for central heating in Milan
Within the ordinance on heating in Milan there are not only indications relating to turning the systems on and turning off the heating, but also specific restrictions regarding the time slots and maximum temperatures allowed.
Therefore, with regards to the daily operation of heating systems, the ordinance imposes a maximum of 13 hours of operation (instead of 14), included between 5:00 and 23:00 while, the maximum temperature allowed for residential buildings has been set at 19°C with a tolerance of 2°C. In this way the legislation relating to the turning off of heating in Milan and more generally the ordinance which concerns the rules to be followed for air conditioning systems operated in winter has reduced by 1°C the limit of 20°C established by the national reference standard for Zone E.
In this regard, however, it is important to note that some categories of buildings, such as hospitalsclinics, retirement homes, nursery schools and nursery schools are excluded from these provisions and that these regulations concern only the municipality of Milan.
The reason for the ordinance on turning off heating in Milan
According to a survey conducted by A2A, during the thermal season 2022-2023 in Milan a reduction in gas consumption of 19.4% was observed compared to the previous season. This result was attributed to the positive effects of the provisions of the previous ‘Cingolani’ Decree.
As stated by the Councilor for the Environment Elena Grandi, in fact, during the year 2023, various measures have been adopted to regulate the thermal season, including reducing the period of use of heating and temperatures. These initiatives have led to significant savings and therefore to the adoption of specific rules for the heating season of the new year, with the aim of encouraging citizens to delay turning on domestic heating as much as possible with benefits both on bills and on environment.
