Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Councilor Grandi: "A measure that in addition to reducing CO emissions₂ and energy expenditure, helps to avoid gatherings in commercial establishments by regulating incoming and outgoing flows"

Milan, 21 December 2021 – Milan is increasingly attentive to the environment and energy saving. The obligation to close the doors for commercial activities will come into effect from next January 1st, as established by the "Air Quality Regulations" approved by the City Council. An intervention made necessary by the Administration's desire to introduce actions against energy dispersion, or for the containment of CO emissions₂, for commercial establishments, public establishments and buildings open to the public.

"An initiative aimed primarily at encouraging energy saving by avoiding waste and reducing polluting emissions, as well as having the value of protecting public health in this particular moment of increase in infections, as it contributes to regulating the flow and presence of people within commercial activities - explains the councilor for the Environment and Green, Elena Grandi -. In fact, it is essential not to confuse the purpose of internal ventilation systems for air exchange with this initiative, which instead is expressly aimed at minimizing heat dispersion and therefore energy waste".

From Friday 1 January for commercial establishments, public establishments and buildings open to the public in which a winter or summer air conditioning system is active, it will be mandatory to keep the premises isolated. Therefore, the constant opening of public access gates towards thermally insulated rooms will not be permitted.

As an alternative to normal doors, entrance devices are permitted which still guarantee the thermal insulation of the rooms such as bush doors or air blade devices which avoid heat dispersion and energy waste. Specifically, the air barriers must have a width no less than that of the opening of the business and must not be generated via electrical resistors as well as guaranteeing an air flow speed to the ground of no less than 2m/s. In the case of air barrier devices installed before November 2020, the date of entry into force of the Regulation, there will be time until 1 June 2022 for the adaptation or possible decommissioning of the systems.

The date of January 1st also represents the deadline for the use of generators equipped with internal combustion engines, fueled by diesel or mixture, by operators of non-food trade activities present in the 94 open weekly markets and in the 166 extra-market spaces that are occupied with benches or perches for at least 4 days a week. For the latter operators, connection to the electricity grid will be mandatory.