Annual inspections of home boilers will soon no longer be mandatory, as currently required by Presidential Decree 74 of 2013. The Artisans’ Union of the Province of Milan and the Province of Monza Brianza has had the opportunity to review an advanced draft of the new decree from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security , noting its repeal. If confirmed in the final text, it would represent a further setback to the energy transition following the European Union’s decision to lift the ban on the installation of new boilers .
The cancellation of inspections for systems under 70 kilowatts affects 20 million domestic gas boilers in Italy , 7 million of which are over 15 years old. Article 8, paragraph 3 of the new Presidential Decree maintains the requirement only for document checks to be carried out remotely, not on-site as previously required.Hence the protests of artisans , driven by fears of financial losses from the new legislation: leaving safety to checks of this kind would at the very least presuppose the existence of digital platforms capable of cross-referencing gas supply contract data with personal and habitability information. To date, Italy is far from achieving such a scenario, lacking a unified and comprehensive information system.
Even worse, the text of the decree requires energy efficiency checks to be carried out every four years , with each region giving the option of imposing additional checks. The risk is that boilers will not be adequately monitored, with consequences for safety, health, and bills .
It’s clear that these checks place a burden on families, and the impression is that the aim is to lighten this burden. However, this is done at the expense of safety and the environment. […] It would be a bit like eliminating periodic car inspections because they’re expensive, with the risk of more accidents and more pollution – Marco Accornero, general secretary of the Artisans’ Union
While the goal is to reduce direct costs for citizens, the real risk is that environmental and health costs will simultaneously rise—and not by a small amount . Fewer boiler controls mean higher consumption, more pollution, more waste, and more dangerous conditions in Italian homes.