Remote Heat Metering Becomes Mandatory for Millions by January 2027

Approximately four million families residing in buildings with centralized heating systems face a rapidly approaching regulatory deadline. By January 1, 2027, all older heat accounting systems must be converted or upgraded to support remote reading capabilities, aiming to boost energy efficiency across residential buildings.

The regulation stems from Legislative Decree No. 73 of July 14, 2020, which incorporated European Union Directive 2018/2002 into national law. While newly installed devices have been required to feature native remote-reading technology since October 25, 2020, the upcoming deadline applies broadly to legacy infrastructure that previously relied on manual data collection.

The mandate applies to apartment complexes, multi-purpose buildings, and homes served by centralized heating or cooling, district heating networks, or centralized domestic hot water systems. Devices impacted include both main supply point meters and individual sub-meters installed on radiators within specific residential units.

Responsibility for compliance is divided among different parties. Main meters at the supply point fall under the management of the measurement service operator, whereas individual apartment devices are the responsibility of property owners. In condominium settings, building managers and resident assemblies must coordinate necessary inspections and upgrade work.

Technically, the systems utilize low-frequency radio transmission protocols, such as Wireless M-Bus or the Open Metering System (OMS), connected to cellular gateways that automatically transmit consumption data. This information is safeguarded using AES-128 encryption to protect tenant privacy, ensuring that only numerical usage statistics and battery status indicators are sent.

Adopting remote meter reading offers several practical benefits for daily management. Residents in already upgraded buildings are entitled to receive consumption data at least monthly during the heating season, which helps eliminate unexpected final adjustments and allows households to correct waste immediately. Furthermore, the technology completely removes the necessity for technicians to enter private apartments to manually check radiators.

Failure to comply with the conversion mandate by the January 1, 2027 deadline carries strict financial penalties. Administrative fines range from 500 to 2,500 euros for each individual housing unit within a non-compliant condominium. The only exceptions permitted by law are instances backed by certified technical reports proving technical impossibility or clear economic disproportion.

While Confedilizia has raised objections regarding how the requirement applies to devices installed prior to October 2020, the statutory deadline remains firmly set. Regional authorities, autonomous provinces, or delegated agencies hold the responsibility of issuing penalties for specific violations, such as failing to install required sub-meters or improperly allocating building expenses.