Italian heat pump incentive a sustainable blueprint
18th August 2020
BELGIUM: Daikin has praised a new Italian government heat pump incentive, which offers the end user a refund on the purchase price, as a “blueprint” for other countries.
Italy’s new Superbonus is seen as one of the most ambitious heat pump installation schemes to date in providing a 110% tax discount.
According to Daikin, the new scheme, introduced last month, “provides a promising blueprint for other governments trying to bring about a ‘green’ recovery in the post-Covid-19 world”.
Patrick Crombez, Daikin Europe Heating and Renewables general manager, said: “Heat pumps are ready for prime time, and this initiative will help consumers see that heat pumps are a viable option for new buildings and a replacement for fossil-fuel boilers.”
When purchasing a heat pump or another green energy source, consumers are granted a 110% refund on the purchase price of their heating system via five annual tax breaks. The tax advantage will apply to renovation works billed from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2021.
Consumers also have the option to receive a discount of up to 100% on the purchase price of a heating system directly via the installer of the system, who, in turn, becomes the new bearer of the credit and can apply for tax breaks. Alternatively, they can apply to receive a refund of up to 100% via a “credit pass” to the installer of the heating system, a bank, or another 3rd party. In this case the credit is sold or passed to a new bearer.
In addition to slashing the carbon output of Italy’s residential sector and reducing Italy’s dependency on fossil fuels, Daikin sees the payback plan making sustainable energy solutions such as heat pumps the new norm in Italy.
“What is happening in Italy shows that governments can support the industry’s initiatives by creating a climate in which it can flourish and drawing consumers’ attention to sustainable heating solutions,” Daikin says in a statement. “The Superbonus encourages Italians to take a closer look at the ecological advantages and total cost of ownership of a heat pump vis-à-vis a traditional boiler. This gives consumers the final ‘nudge’ to consider sustainable alternatives to heating systems running on fossil fuels. Over time, countries will reap the rewards of their investments in a growing industry and in the environmental benefits of lower CO2 output.”
