The Kyoto Protocol, the result of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is the concrete expression of a global desire to tackle the threat of climate disruption, reconciling environmental and economic interests. The phenomenon of global warming, determined by the greenhouse effect and driven by the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels, is the main cause of the change in global weather conditions. 
The international treaty, which was signed by more than 150 countries and came into force in 2005, obliges member states, in legally binding terms, to bring about in the 2008-2012 period a drastic reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, inverting the dominant trend of the last two centuries.

The energy used in residential heating represents 40% of the final consumption of energy in the European Union which, in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, has obliged member states to prepare a programme for the energy performance of buildings. 
They are therefore obliged to prescribe minimum performance requirements with compulsory official certification, in order to limit greenhouse gas emissions and raise public awareness of an eco-sustainable approach to the environment.