MILAN (ITALPRESS) – To provide people with the tools they need to understand the best strategies by which they can decarbonize their homes with significant savings in energy costs. That is the goal of the Clear-HP project, co-funded by the European Union and run by a consortium of consumer organizations, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, coordinated by BEUC (European Consumers’ Organization).
Altroconsumo has also decided to join the initiative with a specific project on the topic.
“We have launched a platform called ‘Heat and Save’: you can also find it on the Altroconsumo portal and it allows consumers to join the buying group without any monetary commitment,” explains Stefano Casiraghi, coordinator for Altroconsumo of the “Heat-Save Clear-HP” project.
“All Italian citizens can access it: once they have registered and entered their home’s data, we will make a first level of awareness of how ready their home is for a heat, air and water pump system. This means that we will immediately tell people of color who had a poorly insulated house or a house with structural problems in the distribution system that they will not be able to immediately access this system,” Casiraghi stresses. “All this information will be given on this platform through news, articles and especially as we will then see through training webinars.
As many as three webinars have been scheduled for the current month. The first, held last March 11, focused on “Heat pumps: overcoming challenges, seizing opportunities,” allowing members to learn about the ideal conditions for installation and what advantages this technology provides for reducing energy consumption.
“On the 18th and 25th we will have two more appointments with industry experts related to home thermal insulation and the world of heat pump installation who will address all the issues and complexities and opportunities of this technology. So it is a path where we start to understand what the technology is until we understand exactly how it should be inserted inside our home and what opportunities it can give us,” Casiraghi says. “In addition, on the 25th we will also say what the technical partner is: from that day, registered consumers will be able to ask for an inspection in their home completely free of charge to try to have the final estimate and thus understand if they are really interested in the installation.
To participate in the webinars, registration for the buying group via the dedicated portal www.riscaldaerisparmia.it is required. Altroconsumo’s initiative is functional not only to provide information, but also to clarify consumers’ doubts when faced with energy choices that are not always easy to understand.
According to Casiraghi, “the doubts are related to whether the technology allows it to produce both water for heating and domestic hot water, that is, the water we use for showers. And if it does both functions, the question being asked is with what footprint: unlike our boiler, one of the main barriers is whether you have enough space and volume to install a heat pump that has an indoor and outdoor unit, whether you can do it close to the house and with what limitations. And then figuring out how much you can save. It is absolutely clear that the cost of installing and purchasing these products is definitely higher than that of a gas boiler. So it is absolutely important to evaluate how much it costs on the bill to try to understand what the actual savings will be. All this information is given precisely within the webinar.”
– photo provided by Altroconsumo press office –
(ITALPRESS).
