A new building regulation to celebrate the Kyoto Protocol

February 16 2012. Happy Birthday Kyoto Protocol. The best present, according to the Italian ngo Legambiente, would be a new “Italian building regulation”. On the seventh Anniversary of the International Commitment to reduce greenhouse gases, Legambiente invites public administrations and municipalities to adopt the “rules of excellence”, selected among the cities’ best practices concerning sustainable housing. Carbon gases emitted by private consumption are on top of the list in terms of climate change origins. But it would be possible to take action also by improving our homes’ efficiency, that’s why Legambiente introduces the challenge.

“We suggest our municipalities to take a look at these realities as an example to replicate- declared Edoardo Zanchini, Legambiente vice President- We collected all the best practices out of the Italian building regulation: all the houses realized or renovated following these rules could indeed reset the power consumption, and could also reduce the use of water, improving at the same time comfort in public spaces and at home”.

The upgrading in terms of homes’ power efficiency, promoted by Legambiente, can be summarized in three main features:

- reduction in power consumption, through home engagements aimed at reducing energy supplies: improving heat insulation and increasing passive solar stream and productivity.

- renewable sources, to be used and integrated in buildings to produce heat, hot water and electricity.

- water cycle, reducing private consumption through recycling, purifying, reusing for compatible purposes, toward an increase in soil permeability, and also developing innovative technologies and conservation systems.

The turning point toward sustainable housing could also guarantee an economic growth, thanks to development of new green jobs.