The Italian Federation for energy efficiency – FIRE – is an independent non-profit organization, whose purpose is to promote sustainability and the efficient use of energy. FIRE was founded in 1987 by ENEA (the Italian national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development) and two energy manager associations.

The association operates by supporting companies and people involved in the energy sector – both as supply and demand – through its institutional activities and its services. FIRE also promotes – in collaboration with the relevant institutions – a positive development of the legislative and regulatory framework in order to foster an efficient use of energy.

FIRE has around 300 members, which cover all the energy sector (e.g. energy efficiency technologies producers, power producers, distributors, ESCOs, large and medium enterprises, universities and research centers, energy managers and energy professionals). Around half of the members are organizations, the other are persons. This type of membership ensures that FIRE has a holistic approach to energy efficiency and energy productivity.

Since 1992 FIRE manages the Italian energy manager network on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development. FIRE promotes their role through various initiatives.

In 2008 FIRE launched SECEM, an internal structure dedicated to the certification of the skills of the experts in energy management in accordance with the UNI CEI 11339:2009 Italian standard. SECEM was accredited in 2012 according to the ISO 17024 international standard.

FIRE’s vision

The principles governing FIRE’s activities are:

  • the recognition that a sustainable approach is needed in line to the Paris agreement goals and that energy efficiency, renewable energy and the reduction of energy demand are the pillars of the energy transition;
  • the belief that private and public organisations can be leaders in such transition with an adequate support in terms of information, training, availability of tools (technical, managerial, economical, financial, etc.), and policies;
  • the importance of ensuring a constant dialogue among parties and stakeholders at all level to understand needs, issues, and opportunities and to share good practices;
  • a super partes and technology neutral approach;
  • a practical and multidisciplinary approach to energy and environmental issues, through a multi-benefit analysis;
  • a continuous analysis of the energy sector in order to understand its evolution, identify and remove barriers, share trends and opportunities, inform policy makers, and propose improvements to policies and incentives;
  • the progressive extension of its activities to non-experts (decision makers and managers, media and education, citizens) in order to narrow the gap between technicians and other people.

FIRE’s activities

FIRE provides the following services and tools:

  • a comprehensive website on energy efficiency and energy management;
  • a fortnightly newsletter;
  • the quarterly magazine “Gestione Energia”;
  • conferences and workshops;
  • surveys, studies, and research;
  • information campaigns and dissemination activities;
  • support via e-mail on issues related to energy management;
  • training activities;
  • participation in working groups and committees at the relevant ministries, the Authority for Electricity and Gas, the standards committee CEN CENELEC and UNI CEI CTI;
  • collaborations and projects with public and private organizations, industry associations, energy agencies, research institutes and universities;
  • participation in university masters, trade fairs, scientific committees of events, and energy conferences and seminars organized by third parties.

The activities also have an international dimension, through the participation to joint projects aimed at improving the regulatory and legislative framework and at encouraging the rational use of energy.
FIRE is the Italian partner of EVO for the italianisation, promotion and diffusion of the IPMVP protocol for the measurement and verification of energy performance and for the the issuing of the international PMVA and PMVE certifications.
FIRE has also been involved as core team leader of the energy service and energy audit workgroup in the concerted action for the implementation of the 2012/27/EC directive on behalf of ENEA from 2011 to 2016.

To fulfil its mission and vision, FIRE implements various actions, trying to cover all the aspects related with energy efficiency, resource efficiency, energy productivity, renewable energy, and sustainable development.

Board of directors and organisation

FIRE is coordinated by a board of directors and has 10 employees managed by a managing director. Most activities are implemented through its employees, but FIRE is capable of rapidly involving its network of certified energy management experts (around 400 persons) and members to carry out contracts and training activities.

  • Cesare Boffa – President
  • Giuseppe Tomassetti – Vicepresident
  • Vincenzo Albonico
  • Angelo Artale – FINCO
  • Massimo Beccarello – Confindustria
  • Stefano Clò – Università di Firenze
  • Costantino Lato
  • Mauro Mallone – Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico
  • Stefano Massucco – Università di Genova
  • Michele Santovito – Assoege
  • Remo Giulio Vaudano – CNI

Main projects and contracts

Below the main projects, contracts, and training activities implemented in the last fifteen years are listed, together with the respective budget.

European projects

FIRE has been involved in many projects funded by European programmes (i.e. Save, Intelligent Energy, South Eastern Europe, Leonardo, Life+, Horizon 2020) over the years, dealing with many aspects related to energy efficiency (policy, technologies, economy and finance, contracting, dissemination and training, etc.).
Here the list of the most recent EU projects is available:

  • DEESME – promoting energy audits and energy management systems among SMEs both by supporting national authorities in developing policies and by implementing actions among enterprises – 272,281.25
  • ICEEE – promoting energy efficiency over the cold chain supply chain – €105,840.00
  • ENSMOV – Enhancing the implementation and monitoring and verification practices of energy saving policies under article 7 of the EED – € 94,258.00
  • ICP Europe – standardizing the way energy efficiency projects are developed, documented and measured in order to facilitate private investments and enable project aggregation in the industrial sector – € 20,000.00 €
  • ESI Europe – fostering energy efficiency projects through standardised contracts and energy saving insurance – € 348,177.50
  • M-Benefits – tools to understand and quantify multiple benefits of energy efficiency – € 108,012.50
  • EPATEE – tools, guides and support for the evaluation of energy efficiency policies – € 118,640.00
  • Eu-merci – good practices and policies for implementing energy efficiency in the industrial sector – € 129,909.00
  • guarantEE – energy services and EPC development through innovative and more flexible approaches and the promotion of EPC facilitators – € 15,000.00 €
  • Enspol – guidelines and tools for the implementation of energy efficiency obligation schemes and alternative measures under art, 7 of the energy efficiency directive – € 110,372.16
  • SME Energy Check-Up – tools for promoting energy efficiency in the small and medium enterprises – € 121,686.84
  • Whaves – standardized solutions and financial tools for waste heat recovery for the energy intensive industry – € 78,810.90
  • H-Reii Demo – demonstrating new solutions for heat recovery in the energy intensive industry – € 135,901.52
  • Soltec – development of skills and competences for the solar industry – € 68,693.61
  • Enforce – network for the energy performance certification of buildings – € 73,088.58
  • H-Reii – heat recovery in the energy intensive industries – € 49,359.62
  • Enersupply – supporting energy efficiency and renewables in the Balkan area – € 40,000.00
  • Enerbuilding – energy efficiency in buildings – € 66,855.76
  • e-Quem – qualification of the energy manager – € 232,280.47
  • Eurocontract – energy performance contracts – € 80,000.00
  • Greenlight – voluntary improvement in energy efficient lighting across Europe – € 97,729.00

Besides, FIRE has coordinated from 2011 to 2016 the core theme “Energy services and ESCOs, energy auditing, solving administrative barriers” in the Concerted Action on the Energy efficiency directive (previously Concerted action on the Energy services directive) on behalf of ENEA.

Consultancy

Among the consultancy activities carried on over the years by FIRE:

  • support on the development of policies;
  • energy audits and feasibility studies;
  • EPC schemes;
  • tools and support linked to incentive schemes;
  • evaluation and certification of energy savings (according to the IPMVP protocol or other methodologies);
  • behavioural change campaigns design.

Here the list of the most recent contracts is available:

  • GOPA – Support of the Georgian government for establishing the legislation on mandatory energy audits – € 20,000.00
  • Escarus – Consulting services for strengthening the technical capacities of ESCOs, energy auditing firms and MENR’s trainers – € 86,625.00
  • Consorzi di bonifica del Lazio – Implementation of energy audits – € 119,505.00
  • Engie – Certification of energy savings for projects implemented under Consip’s public tenders (public lighting, energy renovation of hospitals, energy services for local authorities) – € 140,000.00
  • Ferrero – Support for the development of an advanced energy monitoring system – € 17,900.00
  • Centria – Study on the white certificate market and support to define buying strategies – € 13,000.00
  • ENEA – Guide for district heating application in small and medium networks – € 40,000.00
  • Estra – Support in the participation of tenders for natural gas network concessions – € 20,000.00
  • ENEA – Guide for using EPC for energy renovation of public buildings – € 50,000.00
  • ENEA – Support to the Energy efficiency unit linked with the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy policies – 240,000.00 €
  • ENEA – Development of tools to promote and improve the white certificate scheme – € 19,500.00
  • GSE – Study on issues with photovoltaic plants decommissioning – € 44,000.00
  • GSE – Technical guideline for small wind and photovoltaic plants – € 33,000.00
  • Università Politecnica delle Marche – Support to define energy efficiency policies and a network of energy managers in the Balkan region – € 40,000.00
  • ENEA – Support to coordinate of working group in the CA ESD and CA EED – € 116,000.00
  • Regione Piemonte – Evaluation of EPBD regulation on buildings in Piedmont region – € 46,800.00
  • GSE – Support to the preparation of a report on the potential of high efficiency cogeneration – € 19,500.00
  • ENEA – Support for the creation of a network of energy managers in the Italian southern regions – € 169,000.00
  • Comune di Vignola – Feasibility study for a district heating network – € 12,500.00
  • Ministry of Environment – Training and information on the mechanism of white certificates – € 222,076.45

Market analysis and research studies

FIRE organizes many surveys and carries on research and market studies on various topics linked with the energy market, such as:

  • effects and implementation of policies;
  • market barriers to the diffusion of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources;
  • energy performance contracting schemes;
  • business models for financing energy efficiency;
  • market potential for technologies;
  • sectorial analysis;
  • feasibility studies for particular and innovative solutions;
  • market transformation and trends analysis.

Here the list of the most recent contracts is available:

  • RSE – Study on the characterization of innovative trends in energy efficiency in the industrial sector – € 25,000.00
  • RSE – Study on multiple benefits in the industrial sector in selected case studies – € 25,000.00
  • RSE – Study on the characterization of three industrial sectors (ceramics, glass, and chemical) – € 19,750.00
  • ENEA – Energy efficiency in data center and energy benchmarks for technology applications in the white certificate scheme – € 100,000.00
  • ENEL Foundation – Energy efficiency in the building sector: skills, business models and public private partnerships – € 36,300.00
  • ENEA – Study on microcogeneration in Italy: analysis of data collected from engines operating in the building sector, evaluation of performance, and suggestion for optimal usage – € 40,000.00
  • ENEA – Study on guarantee funds as a tool to promote energy efficiency measures – € 40,000.00
  • ENEA – Study on energy efficiency technologies in the service sector – € 40,000.00
  • ENEL – Regulatory solutions to non-economic barriers for energy efficiency – € 30,000.00
  • ENEA – Benchmarking for hospitals and other health services – € 56,000.00
  • ENEA – Research on the main barriers to the diffusion of electrical efficient technologies and innovative solutions for the industrial and service sectors – € 85,000.00
  • ENEA – Energy analysis of the service sector for Lazio region – € 19,800.00

Training

FIRE organizes training courses with different levels of in-depth analysis. The considered topics cover all the aspects of energy management:

  • policies, regulations and technical standards;
  • electricity, gas, and other commodities markets and regulations;
  • main players and their market (energy managers, ESCOs, energy and technology suppliers, DSOs, installers, institutional bodies, etc.);
  • incentive schemes (white certificates, alternative measures, European funds, etc.);
  • energy efficiency and RES solutions;
  • cogeneration, district heating, and renewable energy sources;
  • methodologies to evaluate savings, M&V, IPMVP and PMVA e PMVE certification;
  • energy audits (also with training on site);
  • energy management systems (ISO 50001);
  • investment analysis and feasibility studies;
  • project management;
  • energy performance contracting and third party financing;
  • multiple benefits approach.

FIRE organizes each year around 50 training courses involving 800-1,000 participants.

Among FIRE’s clients that requested tailored training courses in the recent years we can list (the indicated amount of euros is related to the biggest contract awarded):

  • IVECO (€ 16,250.00);
  • ENEL (€ 34,213.00);
  • TIM (€ 24,300.00);
  • Trenitalia (€);
  • RFI (€ 53,700.00);
  • Schneider Electric (€ 40,812.00);
  • Centria (€ 16,000.00);
  • Ecocerved (€ 28,000.00);
  • Vigili del fuoco (€ 15,000.00);
  • Legislazione Tecnica (€ 12,738.00);
  • Ordine Ingegneri Treviso (€ 12,350.00);
  • Isnova (€ 47,751.00);
  • Periti Industriali Treviso (€ 14,700.00);
  • Servizi Tecnici B&G (12,000.00).

In addition to FCA, H3G, Dintec, Leonardo, Barilla, Galbani, Poste italiane, HERA, Comune di Sassari, The ACS, Hitachi, Sole24Ore, Lactalis, Ordine Ingegneri Avellino (all contracts between € 2,500.00 and € 10,000.00).

Most of the training courses are provided in Italian. Among the ones implemented in English there are:

  • IVECO (€ 16,250.00, training for energy managers from all IVECO’s factories in the world);
  • GIS Kosovo (€ 12,000.00, training related to the support activities to establish an accredited scheme for training and certification of energy auditors in the country, contract no. 81220638);
  • Enersupply (€ 40,000.00, 11 training sessions held in different cities in the Balkan area on energy management).

Besides, FIRE’s employees have been involved in many training sessions organised by third parties.
FIRE is also the Italian partner of EVO for the implementation of IPMVP courses and the PMVA and PMVE certifications.

Get in touch

It is possible to contact us at the following address: segreteria@fire-italia.org