When the heat costs in Italy: the four economic itemsThe estimate is made up of four items. This is followed by higher energy costs, between 2 and 3 billion, linked to the need to cool for longer, and the drop in work productivity on days of intense heat, estimated between 1.5 and 3 billion. Added to this are 1-2 billion in lost turnover in the most exposed sectors, from construction to agriculture to logistics and street trading. But the heat doesn’t just take away hours of work: it also shifts consumption. Why Confesercenti’s estimate is conservative: what European studies say0.2-0.4% of GDP may seem like a low figure when compared with the scientific literature.