About us
For 50 years we have measured the water and heating used in homes across Bologna and its province. With the same care as on day one.
Our story
Born in Bologna in 1975, grown with the area around it
L.I.R.A. S.p.A. started in Bologna in 1975, when meters were read one by one, notebook in hand, climbing the stairs of every building. Our work has been the same ever since: we measure how much each family really uses, so that everyone pays only for what they use.
Over the years we have grown together with the area. Reading water meters came first. Heating followed: metering and cost allocation, which means measuring how much heating each home uses. Then came electronic meters and remote reading, which let us collect the data without ringing your doorbell. Today our office is in Via Guglielmo Marconi 2, in the centre of Bologna.
Today we serve 38 municipalities in Bologna and its province, and we work every day with thousands of buildings and hundreds of building managers. We are also looking ahead. By 1 January 2027 every metering device will have to be readable remotely, and we are helping buildings get ready in time.
In one sentence
Who L.I.R.A. is, put simply
L.I.R.A. S.p.A. is a Bologna company, in business since 1975, specialised in reading and metering water and heating use, in allocating those costs, and in installing systems with electronic meters, heat meters and heat cost allocators (the devices on the radiators).
How we got here
From the meter reader's notebook to remote reading
Four steps show how our work has changed. What we are here for has not changed: accurate data and fair cost allocation.
The early days
It starts with reading water meters by hand: a meter reader goes from home to home and writes down the numbers shown on the dial.
Heating
Heat metering arrives: heat cost allocators on the radiators and heat meters measure how much heating each home uses.
Smart metering
Meters become electronic: we take the readings from the street (walk-by reading) or remotely, without coming into your home.
Towards 2027
By 1 January 2027 the devices will have to be readable remotely. We guide buildings through the upgrade.
Our values
Three things we believe in
They have been the same since 1975. You will find them in every reading, in every cost allocation, in every phone call we answer.
Accuracy
A wrong number means a wrong bill. That is why we measure with reliable instruments and check the data before every cost allocation.
Close to you
We are from Bologna and we work in 38 municipalities. We know the systems building by building and, when needed, we come in person.
Transparency
Every calculation has to be clear, even to someone who does not work in this field. We explain where the figures come from, with no mystery line items.
Let's talk
Want to know more about us?
See what we can do for your building, or call us: a real person answers, and takes the time to explain.