On the use of an energy certification database to create indicators for energy planning purposes: Application in northern Italy

Energy certification of buildings, mandatory under the European Directive EPBD provides interesting data on the thermo-physical properties and geometry of existing buildings. Although the energy certificate is intended to provide the characteristics of individual buildings, so stimulating the real estate market toward ever better energy performance, data management of the certificates issued over time, using a national or regional energy cadastre, makes available a data base which is useful for energy planning in the building sector. This paper provides the needed results of a benchmarking study on data from the energy cadastre of the Lombardy Region, northern Italy. By integrating data from the energy cadastre (175.778 energy certificates) with the statistical data obtained from the national census, indicators were obtained on the energy performance of existing buildings. The energy indicators obtained, characterised by building type and construction period, normalised as a function of Degree-Days, become an effective tool for energy planning at local and regional scales. In the specific case, the energy indicators have been used to estimate the potential for energy retrofit of existing buildings in the Lombardy Region. The same indicators can also be used by municipalities for energy planning at the municipal or district level. -- Highlights: •A methodology in order to obtain energy performance indicators from an energy cadastre. •Data contained in the energy certificates can be used to understand the thermo-physical properties of an existing building. •Energy indicators on existing buildings are used as a tool for energy planning. •The analysis of the energy cadastre (official register) can detect errors in the registered energy certificates. •The energy indicators are used in order to quantify the energy retrofit potential in existing building stocks