With the arrival of good weather comes the time to turn off centralized home heating. The calendar of dates on which the radiators will turn off varies from area to area depending on the climate zones. Like every year, also in 2026 we start from Southern Italy on March 15th in Lampedusa, Porto Empedocle and in some areas of southern Sicily until April 15th in the Po Valley areas passing through March 31st in Naples, April 7th in Rome and April 15th in Milan. No deadline, however, in the Alpine territories and the coldest municipalities, such as Trento, Cuneo and Belluno.
What are the climate zones for turning off heating and where are they located?
Turning off radiators is regulated by the same provision that also regulates turning them on. The dates and limits of operation of the heating systems are in fact established by the Decree of the President of the Republic n. 74 of 16 April 2013, which updates and integrates what is already provided for by the Decree of the President of the Republic n. 412 of 26 August 1993. In practice, each Municipality is placed in one of the six climate zones, from A to F, on the basis of the so-called “degree days”, an indicator that sums over the entire year, for each day, the (positive) difference between the internal temperature of a building and the average daily external temperature.
| Climate zone | Degree days |
|---|---|
| TO | < 600 |
| B | 600-900 |
| C | 901-1400 |
| D | 1401-2100 |
| AND | 2101-3000 |
| F | > 3000 |
From a geographical point of view, zones A and B include a large part of the coastal areas in the major islands and in the southern regions (but also Tuscan and Ligurian) characterized by a warmer climate. Zones C and D concern a good part of the Central-Southern hinterland (excluding the Apennine areas) up to Eastern Liguria. Zone E covers a large part of the Apennine areas and Northern Italy. Zone F mainly concerns mountain and alpine areas.
When the heating will turn off in 2026: the calendar
The higher the degree day value, the longer the period in which it is allowed to keep the heating on. This criterion was introduced to find a balance between limiting energy consumption in homes and maintaining comfort conditions inside homes. Here is the complete calendar divided by climate zones
| Climate zone | Shutdown period |
|---|---|
| TO | March 15th – December 1st |
| B | March 31st – December 1st |
| C | March 31st – November 15th |
| D | 15 April – 1 November |
| AND | 15 April – 15 October |
| F | No limits for switching off |
Going into detail, the dates for switching off heating in 2026 depend on the division of the country into six climate zones.
Zone A, where the use of the facilities is more limited due to higher temperatures, will stop on March 15 and includes places such as Lampedusa, Porto Empedocle and some areas of southern Sicily.
Zone B instead sets the deadline for March 31st and includes cities with a generally milder climate, including Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Crotone and Agrigento.
In zone C, with the same deadline of 31 March, centers such as Naples, Bari, Cagliari, Lecce and Salerno fall.
Going up towards the Center and the North we find zone D, where the radiators can remain on until April 15th: this is the case in cities such as Florence, Genoa, Ancona, Viterbo and Pescara. In Rome, however, an exception is expected with the shutdown set for April 7th.
Zone E, which includes much of the Centre-North and cities such as Milan, Turin, Bologna, Verona, Padua, Bergamo, Bolzano, Parma, Venice, Perugia and L’Aquila, foresees the stop on 15 April.
Finally there is zone F, which concerns the coldest alpine and mountain territories, such as Trento, Cuneo and Belluno, where no shutdown limit is established.
