Economic and industry statisticsEconomy and markets
Terna estimates 300 million kWh of Italian electricity savings during 2026 daylight time
Terna attributed lower electricity use of 300 million kWh and estimated savings above €90 million to Italy’s seven-month daylight-saving period.
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- First published on EPC Feed
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Terna said on 23 October that Italy’s 2026 daylight-saving period was associated with 300 million kilowatt-hours of lower electricity consumption. The transmission system operator compared that quantity with the average annual electricity requirement of about 115,000 households. It estimated the related economic saving at more than €90 million and the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions at about 140,000 tonnes.
The release came as daylight-saving time was due to end overnight from Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October. Terna defined the period covered by its 2026 calculation as 29 March through 25 October. It attributed the savings to the daylight-saving period as a whole; the report does not claim that the return to standard time itself produces these savings. The announcement is a company estimate, not a measured total of household bill reductions or a forecast for the winter period.
Terna also provided a longer-run comparison. Across 2004–2026, the company estimated that daylight-saving time reduced Italian electricity consumption by more than 12.3 billion kWh, with an aggregate economic saving of about €2.4 billion. The release presents those cumulative figures as its analysis of the period since 2004. They are distinct from the 2026 seasonal estimate and use a different time span.
For its valuation of 2026 savings, Terna cited the average electricity price for a typical household customer under the protected-market regime at 31.4 euro cents per kWh, including taxes. The release attributed that price figure to the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (ARERA). It does not describe that price as a universal rate paid by every Italian customer, nor does it claim every household saved the same amount.
The figures offer a concise system-level indicator at the end of the seasonal clock-change period. The 300 million kWh estimate gives the reported energy quantity; the household equivalent supplies scale; the euro amount and emissions estimate translate the result into economic and environmental terms. Terna’s statement does not give a calculation methodology beyond the data and comparator it names, so the figures should be read as the operator’s published estimates rather than independently recalculated results.
Terna operates Italy’s national electricity transmission network. Its release concerns electricity consumption and system-level estimates, rather than a construction contract, new generation asset, or grid-capacity announcement. The historical comparison extends the company’s estimate to 2004 but should not be treated as evidence that each year produced identical savings. The 2026 measurement period and the full historical total are reported separately here to preserve the source’s distinction.
The 2025 release shows the year-to-year nature of this annual calculation: Terna reported 310 million kWh and more than €90 million in estimated savings for the 2025 period, with a different household equivalent and emissions estimate. That prior figure is not added to or substituted for the 2026 estimate. The method and annual inputs can differ, so the current 300 million kWh figure should be understood as Terna’s estimate for the specific 2026 clock period. Neither release supplies a detailed calculation model that would support independent recalculation from the headline figures alone.
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