Good practice:

Virtous Territories

The project has been created through two joint financial promoters:
• Cariplo Foundation
• Lombardy Region – Structural Funds
The aim is to reduce the CO2 emission percentage and energy consumption in the buildings based in Milan Metropolitan City.
Cariplo Foundation launched a call to select ad hoc consultancy services to support and drive local bodies in energy re-qualification so as to reduce primary energy consumption of property owned buildings.
Milan Metropolitan City (MMC) obtained the funding and could increase the energy efficiency of its buildings through energy re-qualification operations. This process is applicable thanks to Third Party Financing, through Energy Service Company (ESCo).
In the VIRTUOUS TERRITORIES initiative, we count 139 school buildings owned by MMC, including 12 school real estates upon which it has been possible to implement an energy efficiency intervention, partially funded through structural funds of Lombardy Region.
The 139 building within CMM real estate, that are part of the VIRTUAL TERRITORIES initiative, have been selected according to their energy consumption and excluding buildings:
• For sale,
• In A class,
• With district heating
• Listed within “neighbourhood networks”
The selected ESCo company will have to guarantee suitable operations so as to reach performances higher than those reported in the call «Terms of Reference» (minimum guaranteed results), applying the Minimum Environment Criteria (CAM) as by law provision.

14.200.000 € in the period 2018-2020 from Regional Structural Funds (ROP Axis IV)

Through this project it has been possible to support the energy requalification of 139 public-school buildings, 90% of the total with a benefit for 15.845 students. The opportunity to mix funds deriving from different sources offered to the Milan Metropolitan City the chance to intervene with high energy performance results. The simultaneous development of both financial supports helps the mutual backup, reducing timing and management costs.

In terms of lessons learned, this initiative showed an innovative methodology to operate through public-private partnership, maximising money and bureaucratic procedures to intervene efficiently on local public buildings toward an energy requalification.

The use of regional funds in the VIRTUOUS TERRITORIES project is the occasion to re-qualification of MMC buildings, with high energy performance results.
The opportunity to match structural funds with Energy Performance Contracts (with a guaranteed result), produces a virtuous effect for what concerns expected energy performances.
The same timing of the two funding schemes allows the mutual benefit for both projects, reducing implementation time and management costs.
Joint resources will allow to reach high and innovative levels, maximising goals for energy efficiency for what concerns impact and reduction of air emissions.
The modal has been selected by Smartedge partner, Barcelona Metropolitan City.