Everyday life from the world: Renovation support distributed by the state has caused Italians to relocate their homes, writes ‘s Italian journalist Jenna Vehviläinen.
ROME I have been trying to come across this scaffolding in Rome in recent months.
For example, in my nearby blocks of flats for renovation from the beginning of the year on every single street. One section of street after another has been at least partially taken out of service under renovation.
Workers, drilling and banging can be heard from here to here. As a pedestrian, I can apply for my place among the orange insulation tapes and racks of different sizes.
Italian frenzy put their homes to a new faith are due to the state’s unprecedentedly generous renovation grants.
A grant from the government called “superbonus 110” allows Italians to renovate their houses for free: all costs will be reimbursed by the state afterwards.
This support is part of Italy’s corona recovery strategy and is largely financed by EU recovery money. Following the interest rate crisis in 2020, the member states of the Union agreed on a common recovery fund. Italy is receiving support from the package and borrowing briskly: just under EUR 200 billion.
The grant is awarded if the energy efficiency of the home improves with the renovation. For example, the money can be used to replace windows more tightly, new heating equipment or to install solar panels. In earthquake zones, houses can be renovated to make them safer.
The construction industry seems to have recovered In Italy, explosively, albeit in the midst of chaos.
In the sector, employment figures are rising. A familiar real estate agent from an Umbrian small town said the renovation queues are at their worst for months.
The city is reportedly running out among builders and architects – so much work would be available to them.
The frenzy of repairs has also caused rising material prices and unsustainable delays in deliveries.
Several stories have already been received.
My acquaintance just bought a house and wanted to benefit from the grant. When he began to inquire about procurement delivery schedules, the supplier promised that the new windows would be delivered “maybe in the fall”.
The housing company of another Roman acquaintance I wanted to renovate, but the entire city was scaffolding out of stock. The idea had to be shelved for now.
Much has been said in Italywhether the renovation grant is unnecessarily generous and how much it manages to make housing more sustainable.
According to experts, generous support is required (switch to another service) in a country like Italy. Here, the condition of the buildings has, to put it mildly, been torn apart. The building stock is old, with many windows virtually winding in and heating homes consuming a huge amount of energy. Many have not previously been able to afford to renovate a home that is hundreds of years old.
Especially in this world situation, where our dependence on imported energy is a concern in the midst of Russia’s war of aggression, the idea of installing a solar panel on the roof with state money is starting to seem quite attractive.