Cutting-edge equipment, almost 400,000 analyses a year and maximum transparency on the web and with the "In buone acque" report since 2008. In this way Hera distributes good and safe water and all the information necessary for consumers to make informed choices, making its contribution to the next phase of the "Acqua di Casa Mia" campaign launched by Coop to raise awareness among consumers as regards informed decisions when it comes to water consumption. In January, a number of information points were set up with Hera technical staff in the Coop Estense stores in Modena and Ferrara and, more significantly, posters containing tap water labels were put up in the mineral water aisles of all the stores and other information materials provided.
Watch the water channel on the Group website
View the "Acqua di casa mia" section on the Coop website

The fourth internal climate survey carried out in September 2011 with a questionnaire handed out to all Hera Group workers saw 63% of employees participate as opposed to 57% in 2009, with almost 4,000 people filling out the questionnaire. The satisfaction index, which has jumped to 64 on a scale of 1-100, has risen by 6 points compared with 2009 and 14 points compared with the first survey carried out in 2005. The generally positive nature of the results is distributed in almost uniform fashion across the various areas addressed by the questionnaire, showing that the improvement actions have produced positive results downstream of the previous survey. Further improvement measures are planned for the next two years.

At the end of 2011, Hera installed the first 20 charge points for electric vehicles in Imola and Modena as part of the "Mi Muovo elettrico" ("Driving electric") project of the Region of Emilia-Romagna which, in accordance with Hera, Enel and the interested Municipalities, involves the installation of around 100 charge points for electric vehicles between Reggio Emilia and Rimini. It will be possible to charge vehicles using an access card linked to an energy supply contract, or through the integration of this contract in the regional "Mi Muovo elettrico" card. At the "Hera Mobility" Motor Show, Hera also presented the iPhone app which enables users to find their nearest public recharge station anywhere in Italy.
The "Hera of electric mobility" project
Watch the presentation video

The tenth KWD Webranking 2011 Italia Top 100, the annual study that evaluates the quality of the online corporate communications of the 101 biggest Italian companies in terms of capitalisation, put Hera in third place with 85.5 points, preceded only by Eni and Telecom. The average among Italian businesses is below 37 points.
Hera also consolidated its position as a national trailblazer in the area of web-based corporate social responsibility communications. The rankings put together by Swedish company Lundquist, which in 2011 monitored the commitment of the 50 biggest Italian companies to communicating their social performances on their corporate websites, saw Hera come 3rd with 79 points as compared to the national average of 35.4 points.

Since October 2011 the "Rifiutologo" app, the Hera guide that lists the various types of rubbish normally produced in the domestic setting and the correct ways of disposing of them, has been available for free download from the Apple Store, the Apple site for the download of multimedia files and applications. Developed in association with Officine Digitali and identical to the paper version distributed to over 2 million citizens by Hera, this app can help them to correctly dispose of their waste on a daily basis.
So far over 15,000 Hera customers have downloaded the Rifiutologo app and 740 have downloaded the 2.0 version of the application from Android Market.
Download the "Rifiutologo" app
Download from Android Market

Back in October the CiboAmico project to recover unconsumed food was launched in the new Hera canteen in Ferrara, where 180 workers eat every day. Every afternoon volunteers from the Viale K association recover the containers containing the food, which are then consumed that same evening by the community of via Mambro. Around thirteen full meals are recovered and donated every day thanks to this initiative of strong territorial and social value, which brings different operators in the community together to create a charitable and sustainable network. Launched in November 2009 with the support of Last Minute Market, CiboAmico is now present in the five main Hera canteens and has already donated over 17,000 full meals, avoiding pointless waste and reducing the amount of rubbish produced.

Herambiente, the Hera Group company with around 560 employees and the biggest Italian waste treatment and disposal operator with around 80 plants, has been awarded OHSAS 18001 certification regarding workplace health and safety. This recognition came from DNV under the supervision of Accredia, the Italian body that acts as the sole final guarantor of the quality assurance system. The same recognition was afforded to Uniflotte (approx. 140 workers), the Hera Group company that manages the approximately 3,000 vehicles that operate in the area served by the Group. Hera's commitment to achieving this important certification falls within the scope of the "Un anno per la sicurezza" ("A year of safety") project.

Hera has confirmed that there will also be a district heating social bonus for 2011. This facility, introduced voluntarily in association with the Municipalities, enabled economically disadvantaged families to make a saving on district heating spending. Families had to have an ISEE income of no higher than 7,500 euro or 20,000 euro in the case of families with three children. The bonus can be requested by all domestic customers who use district heating managed by Hera with a direct supply contract or through a condominium plant in the territories of Bologna, Cesena, Ferrara, Imola and Modena.