With the arrival of the cold season the theme ofautomatic switching on of the heating: like every year, i radiators they will be activated unevenly throughout Italy, but will vary based on the climate of each region.
We leave on October 15, 2025 with most of the cities of Northern Italyand then gradually continue along the country until 1 December 2025. The current legislation in fact provides for the division of Italy into 6 different climate zones, depending on the average seasonal temperatures: in practice, this translates into a difference between municipalities regarding the period of heating operation and the daily duration. The shutdown, however, will take place between March 15th and April 15th.
No changes to the legislation are planned for 2025, although the Municipalities have the power to impose more restrictive criteria to limit consumption: the Municipality of Milanfor example, established that the maximum temperature allowed in residential buildings it will have to be of 19°C (with 2 °C tolerance), i.e. one degree less than the 20°C provided for by the Decree.
What are the climate zones for turning on heating and how are they calculated
The switch on of central heating is regulated by the Decree of the President of the Republic n.74 of 16 April 2013which establishes on and off dates, maximum number of daily operating hours and maximum temperatures allowed.
The Decree, in particular, divides Italy into 6 different climate zonesdepending on the average temperatures of the cold season: these climate zones are determined using the so-called degree-days (often abbreviated with GG or gr-g). It’s about the positive difference between the internal ambient temperature (set by law at 20°C, with 2°C tolerance) e the average external temperature daily. The data is collected every day of the year: the higher this value, the harsher the climate in that area and, consequently, the sooner the heating can be turned on.
| Climate zone | Degree-Days |
|---|---|
| Zone A | less than 600 |
| Zone B | between 600 and 900 |
| Zone C | between 901 and 1400 |
| Zone D | between 1401 and 2100 |
| Zone E | between 2101 and 3000 |
| Zone F | above 3000 |
The 2025 calendar for turning on heating in Italy
A different switch-on period and a variable number of hours of daily operation are therefore established for each climate zone. Specifically, the subdivision ranges from a maximum of 14 hours per day for the zone E to a maximum of 6 hours for zone A.
| Climate zone | Ignition period | Operating hours |
|---|---|---|
| Zone A | 1 December – 15 March | 6 hours per day |
| Zone B | 1 December – 31 March | 8 hours per day |
| Zone C | 15 November – 31 March | 10 hours per day |
| Zone D | 1 November – 15 April | 12 hours per day |
| Zone E | 15 October – 15 April | 14 hours per day |
| Zone F | all year round | no limitations |
While the zone A it is the most reduced one and includes only Lampedusa, Linosa, Porto Empedoclethe E zone it is actually the most populouswith around 4,000 municipalities involved and almost all the cities of the North. There zone F only understands Belluno and Cuneo; that B, however, includes all the provinces of Sicily together with Crotone and Reggio Calabria. Lastly, most of the municipalities of the area are located in the CD area Central Italy.
For 2025, no changes have been made to the legislation: however, Italian municipalities can still choose to apply more restrictive criteria for the use of heating, so as to allow greater energy savings. In the case of Milan, the mayor Beppe Sala confirmed that the maximum temperature inside buildings will have to be 19 °C, always with 2 °C tolerance, i.e. one degree less than the 20 °C established in the Decree.
