Following Great Britain, Italy is Warming Up to the Idea of Home Insulation

I’ve lived overseas for more than half of my life, and I’ve come to the conclusion that “insulation” is a thoroughly American concept. In many countries, the idea of “heat” and “cold” is relative to the change of seasons: in the summer it gets hot, in the winter it gets cold, and any variation of either is a matter of opening a window or tossing another log in the fire (or for that matter peeling off another layer of clothing or slipping into another sweater). That was never truer than in Italy, but each successive “new” generation wants to be comfortable 365 days a year. And the only way to stay comfortable depends on successfully insulating your home. Specifically, it’s a concept known as “casa-sera” or “green-house” installation – originated in Great Britain and making its way across the Atlantic to Italy.

The casa-sera concepts mimics much of the technology used in a greenhouse. The same technology that creates artificial light, recycles water and utilizes all the available space in an abode, while cutting costs at every opportunity. For example, installing solar panels on your roof – which will provide heat, mounting wind-operated turbines in various exterior locations that generate electricity, using solar operated lights that regenerate all day and switch on once the sun sets, double and triple-glass windows to keep hot or cold air in or out. Thermostat-controlled water heaters and external water tanks that collect rain water that can be recycled for use outside or inside. Those are the main items on the insulation menu, other suggestions include “natural” cement (which I believe is also called “sand”), ecologically user-friendly paint and mini-flush toilets which don’t consume as much water.

It all seems pretty fundamental – and maybe in the Untied States it is – but in Europe these are pretty radical ideas. In ENGLAND this represents pretty innovative thinking. And British leader Tony Blair is hoping that by instituting these concepts in his country, other countries in the European Union (like Italy) will follow suit.

This is easier said than done. Italy – where I have spent a good number of years – is not known exactly as a “forward thinker”, the country has a reputation as a more “live for the moment” kind of place, rather than a “plan for the future” kind of place. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t bode well for one’s children or children’s children. So this whole concept of heavy-insulation is coming at just the right time, because Europe in general and Italy in particular is gearing up for a massive crunch of its natural resources.

The Blair-directed insulation template also stresses “bio-cultivation” which is a flashy way of saying, “plant a garden and grow your own vegetables”. Italians have been doing this already for generations, so at least in this area they have a heads-up on the competition.

Come to think of it, these insulation ideas are good no matter where you live. But renovations of this type can be expensive. A recent study by the European Union pegged general renovation costs at an average of 17,000.00 euro per household. That’s about 20,000.00 dollars. Economically, this type of across-the-board insulation probably doesn’t weigh in quite so heavily, but it illustrates a good point, that in order to save money you need to be prepared to spend money. Hey, suddenly wearing n extra sweater or two doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

It’s too early to say just how well-received this idea is. “Old school” Italians try to keep utility costs down by practicing plain old energy-conservation techniques: don’t turn lights on (or any electric appliance) if you don’t need it, open a window to stay cool and wear a few sweaters to stay warm. There’s nothing wrong with that, but unfortunately, this kind of thinking is also pretty extreme in that it doesn’t allow for many extravagances. I’ve always wondered so many Italians spend such an inordinate amount of time sitting in front of their homes or hanging out in the piazza playing chess or whatever: they don’t want to run up their utility bills!

I’m pretty sure that’s not going to cut it in 2006. So let’s hope Tony Blair’s ideas translate well in the land of mozzarella and wine.