Heating, radiators turned on in the climate zone of Rome and Naples from 15 November: what you need to know

From today the radiators will be turned on in the cities of climate zone C and therefore, among others, in Naples, Bari, Lecce, Cagliari and Catanzaro. The green light also concerns Rome, despite being part of band D (where the thermal season begins on November 1st), due to the deferral of the switch-on date ordered by the municipality.

Ask the Sun

In-depth questions generated by 24Ore AI

Questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI

based on the content displayed.

The start date of the thermal season depends on the climate zone in which each municipality falls. A 1993 decree in fact divided the national territory into six bands, from A to F. A subsequent provision, dating back to 2013, established when the heating can be turned on in the various bands and how many hours a day it can remain active. The division was decided on the basis of degree days (DD), a quantity that measures how cold the climate of a municipality is during the heating season. As regards buildings used for industrial, artisanal and similar activities, the law establishes that during the operation of the winter air conditioning system the weighted average of air temperatures must not exceed 18 degrees. There are two degrees of tolerance. In all other buildings the maximum ceiling is 20 degrees, always with two degrees of tolerance.

The turn of the cities belonging to zone C begins on November 15th, which mainly includes municipalities in the south of the country. This range includes urban centers characterized by a number of days greater than 900 and not greater than 1,400. Here, unless changes are ordered by the municipal administrations, the heating systems will remain on from 15 November to 31 March, with a limit of ten hours of activity per day. In addition to the municipalities already mentioned, Cosenza, Brindisi, Taranto, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno, Oristano, Sassari, Ragusa, Latina and Imperia are also part of zone C.

In Rome the thermal season should have started on November 1st, given that the capital falls into climate zone D. However, a municipal ordinance of October 29th postponed the date of turning on the radiators to November 15th due to the still relatively mild temperatures.

The heating can remain on until 8 April 2027, for a maximum of 11 hours per day (and not 12 as foreseen for band D). The municipality has also arranged for the reduction of air temperature by one degree to 17 degrees (plus two tolerance) for buildings used for industrial, artisanal and similar activities and to 19 degrees (plus two tolerance) for all other buildings.