Maintenance and efficiency of heating systems to reduce air pollution: Evaluation of a community-based campaign to change energy behaviors in an Italian province

Journal title ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Author/s Carlo Signorelli, Anna Odone, Stefano Capolongo, Maddalena Buffoli, Marcello Tirani, Denis Grasso, Edoardo Croci
Publishing Year 2017 Issue 2016/3
Language English Pages 10 P. 89-98 File size 161 KB
DOI 10.3280/EFE2016-003008
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Energy efficiency information campaigns are key to promote energy savings and reduction of air pollutants. The study’s aim is to assess the impact of an information campaign on heating systems maintenance implemented in a province of Northern Italy conducted developing ad hoc communication material, including posters, brochures, online advertising and media com-munication. Our analysis considered selected outcomes over the period 2008-2014. We report decreasing heating systems irregularities (from 52% to 31%; p<0.05), decreasing reported ‘lack of maintenance’ (from 23.3% to 12.2%; p<0.05), decreasing of other non-compliances (location: -62.5%, p<0.05, ventilation: -72.4%, p<0.05, among others) as well as decreasing fines to users (from 229/year to 137/year). These results support the hypothesis that campaigns to improve energy efficiency behavior could be considered as appropriate measures to promote and facilitate an efficient use of energy by small energy customers.

Keywords: Heating, air pollution, information campaigns, efficiency

Jel codes: Q52, I18, Q51

  1. Allcott A. and Greenstone M. (2017). Measuring the Welfare Effects of Residential Energy Efficiency Programs. NBER Working Paper No. 23386. May.
  2. Aste N., Adhikari R.S., Compostella J. and Del Pero C. (2013). Energy and environmental impact of domestic heating in Italy: Evaluation of national NOx emissions. Energy Policy, 53: 353-360.
  3. Bellander T., Berglind N., Gustavsson P., Jonson T., Nyberg F., Pershagen G. and Järup L. (2001). Using geographic information systems to assess individual historical exposure to air pollution from traffic and house heating in Stockholm. Environ Health Perspect, 109(6): 633-639.
  4. Brounen D., Kok N. and Quigley J.M. (2012). Residential energy use and conservation: Economics and demographics. European Economic Review, 56(5): 931-945.
  5. Buffoli M., Capolongo S., Cattaneo M. and Signorelli C. (2007). Project, natural lighting and comfort indoor. Annali di Igiene, 19(5): 429-441.
  6. Capolongo S., Battistella A., Buffoli M. and Oppio A. (2011). Healthy design for sustainable communities. Annali di Igiene. 23: 43-53.
  7. Capolongo S., Buffoli M. and Oppio A. (2015). How to assess the effects of urban plans on environment and health. Territorio, 73: 145-151.
  8. Capolongo S., Buffoli M., Oppio A. and Petronio M. (2014). Sustainability and Hygiene of building: future perspectives. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 38: 46-50.
  9. Capolongo S., Buffoli M., Oppio A. and Rizzitiello S. (2013). Measuring hygiene and health perfomance of buildings: a multidimensional approach. Annali di Igiene, 25(2): 151-157.
  10. Capolongo S., Buffoli M., Oppio A., Nachiero D. and Barletta M.G. (2013). Healthy indoor environments: how to assess health performances of construction projects. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 12(S11): 209-212.
  11. Coppola L., Ripamonti E., Cereda D., Gelmi G., Pirrone L. and Rebecchi A. (2016). 2015-2018 Regional Prevention Plan of Lombardy (Northern Italy) and sedentary prevention: a cross-sectional strategy to develop evidence-based programmes. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 40(3-4): 243-248. DOI: 10.19191/EP16.3-4.P243.091
  12. Costantini V., Crespi F. and Palma A. (2015). Characterizing the policy mix and its impact on ecoinnovation in energy-efficient technologies. SEEDS Working Papers 11/2015, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies. --Retrieved at https://ideas.repec.org/p/srt/wpaper/1115.html.
  13. Croci E. and Molteni T. (2015). Cross-cutting analysis of results from Coopenergy’s European survey on Multi-Level-Governance models for sustainable energy planning. --Retrieved at https://www.unibocconi.it/wps/wcm/connect/4010e435-4274-4ff0-9666-4ab9b48c7168/RR+16.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.
  14. Croci E., Grasso D., Molteni T. and Palma, A. (2015). Status‐quo Analysis of Energy Efficiency Policies in 8 EU Countries – National Report for Italy. Milan: Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy at Bocconi University – IEFE.
  15. Delmas M.A., Fischlein M. and Asensio O.I. (2013). Information strategies and energy con-servation behavior: A meta-analysis of experimental studies from 1975 to 2012. Energy Policy, 61: 729-739.
  16. Enea (2016). Rapporto Annuale Efficienza Energetica 2016.
  17. Enel Foundation (2013). Stato e prospettive dell’efficienza energetica in Italia – I Rapporto. --Retrieved at: http://www.enel.com/it/IT/doc/enel_foundation/events/report_stato_e_prospettive_efficienza_energetica.pdf.
  18. European Commission, DG Environment News Alert Service (2013). Do information campaigns about energy use really help to reduce consumption? In Science for Environment Policy. Bristol: SCU.
  19. European Environmental Agency – EEA (2013). Achieving energy efficiency through behaviour change: what does it take? EEA Technical report, 5.
  20. European Environmental Agency – EEA (2016). Communication, environment and behavior. A scoping study on the links between public communication, environment policy implementation and behavioural science. EEA Technical report, 13.
  21. Fehr R. and Capolongo S. (2016). Healing environment and urban health. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 40(3-4): 151-152. DOI: 10.19191/EP16.3-4.P151.080
  22. Goodhew J., Pahl S., Auburn T. and Goodhew S. (2014). Making Heat Visible: Promoting Energy Conservation Behaviors Through Thermal Imaging. Environment and Behavior, 47(10): 1059-1088. DOI: 10.1177/0013916514546218
  23. Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – ENEA (2015). Rapporto Annuale Efficienza Energetica 2015 (RAEE). Rome: ENEA. --Retrieved at http://www.enea.it/it/produzione-scientifica/pdf-volumi/raee-2015.pdf.
  24. Lim S.S., Vos T., Flaxman A.D., Danaei G., Shibuya K., Adair-Rohani H. et al. (2012). A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet, 380: 2224-2260. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61766-8
  25. Lindén A.L., Carlsson-Kanyama A. and Eriksson B. (2006). Efficient and inefficient aspects of residential energy behaviour: What are the policy instruments for change? Energy Policy, 34: 1918-1927.
  26. Motiva Services Oy (2010). Innovative communication campaign packages on energy efficiency: WEC-ADEME case report on energy efficiency measures and policies. French Environment and Energy Management Agency, World Energy Council – ADEME.
  27. Settimo G. (2012). Residential indoor air quality: significant parameters in light of the new trends. Igiene e sanità pubblica, 68: 136-138.
  28. Signorelli C. and Riccò M. (2012). The health-environment interaction in Italy. Igiene e Sanita Pubblica, 68: 374-380.
  29. Signorelli C., Capolongo S., Buffoli M., Capasso L., Faggioli A., Moscato U., Oberti I., Petronio M.G. and D’Alessandro D. (2016). Italian Society of Hypiene (SItI) recommendations for a healthy, safe and sustainable housing. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 40: 265-270. DOI: 10.19191/EP16.3-4.P265.094
  30. Signorelli C., Capolongo S., Carreri V. and Fara G.M. (1999). The adoption of local hygiene and building regulations and their update in a sample of 338 Italian municipalities. Annali di igiene, 11(5): 397-403.
  31. Signorelli C., Odone A., Buffoli M. and Capolongo S. (2016). Building codes and public health on both sides of the Atlantic. Journal of Public Health Policy.
  32. Signorelli C., Riccò M. and Odone A. (2011). The role of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in the decision-making. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 35(2): 131-135.
  33. University of Antwerp. (2015). Review of Research Efforts and Approaches to Energy Efficiency Barriers HERON 649690, Deliverable D3.1.

Carlo Signorelli, Anna Odone, Stefano Capolongo, Maddalena Buffoli, Marcello Tirani, Denis Grasso, Edoardo Croci, Maintenance and efficiency of heating systems to reduce air pollution: Evaluation of a community-based campaign to change energy behaviors in an Italian province in "ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT" 3/2016, pp 89-98, DOI: 10.3280/EFE2016-003008