FIRE – Italian Federation for energy efficiency

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 400 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.

Main activities

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.

European projects

FIRE has been involved in many European projects over the years, dealing with many aspects related to energy efficiency (policy, technologies, economy and finance, contracting, dissemination and training, etc.).

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.

Currently FIRE is part of The Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG) established in 2013 by the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy (DG Energy) and United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).

Here the list of the most recent EU projects is available:

  • DEESME – new approaches for energy audits and energy management systems for SMEs.
  • ICCEE – promoting energy efficiency over the cold chain supply chain.
  • ENSMOV – Enhancing the implementation and monitoring and verification practices of energy saving policies under article 7 of the EED.
  • M-Benefits – tools to understand and quantify multiple benefits of energy efficiency.
  • ESI Europe – fostering energy efficiency projects through standardised contracts and energy saving insurance.
  • EPATEE – tools, guides and support for the evaluation of energy efficiency policies.
  • 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.
  • EU-MERCI – good practices and policies for implementing energy efficiency in the industrial sector.
  • guarantEE – energy services and EPC development through innovative and more flexible approaches and the promotion of EPC facilitators.
  • Enspol – guidelines and tools for the implementation of energy efficiency obligation schemes and alternative measures under art. 7 of the energy efficiency directive.
  • SME Energy Check-Up – tools for promoting energy efficiency in the small and medium enterprises.
  • Whaves – standardized solutions and financial tools for waste heat recovery for the energy intensive industry.
  • H-Reii Demo – demonstrating new solutions for heat recovery in the energy intensive industry.
  • Soltec – development of skills and competences for the solar industry.
  • Enforce – network for the energy performance certification of buildings.
  • H-Reii – heat recovery in the energy intensive industries.
  • Enersupply – supporting energy efficiency and renewables in the Balkan area.
  • Enerbuilding – energy efficiency in buildings.
  • e-Quem – qualification of the energy manager.
  • Eurocontract – energy performance contracts.
  • Greenlight – voluntary improvement in energy efficient lighting across Europe.

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.

The surveys and the studies are implemented both autonomously (in order to better find out best practices and understand the trends and the transformations of the market) and on commission of third parties (among the clients: ENEA, GSE, RSE, Regione Piemonte, Comune di Padova, ENEL, ENEL Foundation, Politecnico di Milano, Finmeccanica, Fiper, Assorinnovabili, Utilitalia).

The list of published reports is available in the dedicated web site section.

Dissemination, information, and behavioral change campaigns

In order to diffuse its core messages, FIRE organizes many conferences and workshops every year and participates in numerous initiatives organized by other stakeholders. FIRE also organises for its members many webinars on the hottest topics about energy efficiency and energy management.

Among the annual conferences it is worth pointing out:

  • White certificates – the conference dedicated to the Italian energy efficiency obligation scheme;
  • EPC: energy performance contracts for the renovation of buildings and industrial processes – the workshop organized at Innovation cloud – Solarexpo aimed at facilitating the cooperation between ESCOs and end-users;
  • SECEM convention – the conference about certified energy management experts, dedicated to their actions and best practices;
  • Energy management systems – the conference dedicated to the implementation and diffusion of ISO 50001 good practices.
  • White certificates at KeyEnergy – the workshop organized at Ecomondo – KeyEnergy to discuss about white certificates market trends.
  • Enermanagement – the conference dedicated to energy management, resource efficiency and energy productivity.

FIRE has also organised over the years conferences about energy audits, business models and financing tools for energy efficiency, CHP and other energy efficiency technologies and solutions, policies, etc.

In order to facilitate the activities of its members and energy managers, FIRE manages the comprehensive website at www.fire-italia.org and the smaller one dedicated to energy managers at em.fire-italia.org, and publishes guides on the main topics related to energy efficiency.

Besides FIRE has implemented behavioral change campaigns for industrial and commercial end-users.

Training

FIRE organizes many 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 solutions;
  • cogeneration, district heating, and renewable energy sources;
  • methodologies to evaluate savings, M&V, IPMVP and CMVP certification;
  • energy audits (also on site);
  • energy management systems (ISO 50001);
  • investment analysis and feasibility studies;
  • project management;
  • energy performance contracting and third party financing.

Besides, FIRE implements complete courses for energy managers and energy management experts, both autonomously and in cooperation with ENEA, the Italian agency for new technologies, energy and an economic sustainable development.

In addition to the courses scheduled all over the year, FIRE organizes tailored training courses on request of single enterprises, industrial, commercial and professional associations, and other aggregating players.

Among the companies that requested FIRE to organise ad-hoc training courses over the years: Assopetroli, Barilla, ENEL, Estra, FCA, Galbani, H3G, Hera, Hitachi, Iveco, Leonardo, Poste Italiane, RFI, Schneider Electric, TIM, Trenitalia, Unioncamere, Vigili del Fuoco, and many professional orders (ingegneri, periti, etc.) and local authorities (comuni, province, etc.).

Training courses are available in classes and on-line, through the GoToMeeting platform. The duration can range from half day to 3-4 weeks, depending on the objectives of the course.

Finally, FIRE is the Italian partner of EVO for the implementation of IPMVP courses and the CMVP certification.

Consultancy

On demand FIRE can also meet consultancy requests. Among the activities carried on over the years:

  • energy audits and feasibility studies;
  • EPC schemes;
  • presentation of proposals linked to incentive schemes;
  • evaluation and certification of energy savings (according to the IPMVP protocol or other methodologies);
  • behavioral change campaigns design.

International cooperation

To facilitate the financing of energy efficiency projects, FIRE is member of the EEFIG (Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group) and supports the development of the DEEP platform. FIRE also is partner of the ESI Europe project and cooperates with the ICP project by promoting the industrial protocol in Italy.

Finally, FIRE cooperated with EASME in implementing SEI forums in Italy (2017-2019).

To foster the rational use of energy FIRE has cooperating agreements with DENEFF and EREK (Europe Resource Efficiency Knowledge Centre).

MEMBERS

The corporate membership of FIRE is one of the strengths of the Federation, as it involves members of the entire energy chain, such as:

  • electrical and thermal energy producers;
  • energy distributors;
  • energy traders;
  • ESCOs;
  • manufacturers of energy efficient technologies;
  • engineering firms and energy managers;
  • medium and large companies in the industrial and services sectors;
  • public authorities;
  • associations, energy agencies, universities and research bodies.

Such a mixed membership gives FIRE a horizontal and multilateral approach to energy and allows the Federation to deal with issues from various points of view. Presently there are more than 450 members, of which more than 200 are organizations.