Bologna’s Town Planning Building Regulations (RUE), approved by the Local Administration in 2009, set out a variety of innovative performance indicators without stipulating which specific technologies/solutions must be implemented. The RUE requires, as a minimum, that all new buildings and renovations be designed so that their energy consumption is between 60 and 90 kWh/m²/year. However, higher performance is required to receive a volume incentive, applying standards of “improvement” (40 to 60 kWh/m²/year) and “excellence” (bellow 40 kWh/m²/year) (Bertocchi, 2011).
The RUE applies to both commercial and residential buildings. However, particular attention is paid to residential buildings due to their significant contribution to the energy consumption of the municipality (37%) (Bertocchi, 2011).