PEF

What PEF does

PEF S.p.A. (also operating as PEF Italia) is a privately held Italian energy efficiency company headquartered in Barberino Tavarnelle, Florence. Founded in 2006, PEF designs, sells, and installs turnkey photovoltaic systems and integrated energy efficiency retrofits for Italian households and businesses, anchored by the "Operazione Zero Bollette" (Zero Bills Operation) program launched in 2010 that combines photovoltaic generation with broader building efficiency upgrades to reduce or eliminate customer electricity bills. The company also operates the PEF Power sub-brand, an energy consulting agency that works with Pef Power S.p.A. to provide electricity and gas utility management to private clients, professionals, and companies.

The company's go-to-market is a network marketing model: PEF recruits and trains a distributed salesforce of over 3,000 active commissioned collaborators through Skipper Lab, a proprietary national training academy with both physical and digital curricula, and routes installation work through 500+ authorized installers. Reported scale metrics include 50,000+ customers served, 15,000+ installed systems, and 1,000+ corporate presentations. The company is a member of AVEDISCO (the Italian direct sales self-regulatory association), having been promoted to Effective Member in 2017 and ranked among its large companies by turnover in 2021, and was featured by Il Sole 24 ORE among innovative Tuscan firms in 2021. In January 2022, PEF issued and fully placed its first Green Bond of €4.34 million, with proceeds directed to sustainable investment projects. Operations are wholly domestic (Italy) and the company has two disclosed subsidiaries: PEF Engineering (engineering services for energy efficiency) and Skipper Lab (training). The sole investor-visible signal is the Green Bond; there are no institutional investors, parents, or external shareholders disclosed in the source material, and ownership is described as founder-led with a registered share capital of €1,000,000.

Name

PEF

Legal name

PEF S.p.A.

Website

https://pefitalia.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PEF S.p.A. is an Italian energy efficiency company, founded 2006 in Florence, that designs, sells, and installs turnkey photovoltaic systems and energy retrofit solutions for Italian households and businesses through a network of 3,000+ commissioned sales collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

Keywords

• Photovoltaic systems
• Energy efficiency solutions
• Network marketing sales
• Renewable energy installation
• Energy consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barberino Di Mugello

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Photovoltaic System Sales: Sale of turnkey photovoltaic systems (chiavi in mano) to private homeowners and businesses. Revenue generated from the sale and installation of these energy systems.
2. Energy Consulting Services: Energy consulting for clients through PEF Power division, providing electricity and gas utility management solutions in partnership with Pef Power S.p.A.
3. Commission Revenue from Collaborators: Network marketing revenue model where commissioned sales collaborators earn commissions on successful sales of photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PEF sells and installs turnkey photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency solutions for Italian residential and commercial properties, anchored by its 2010 "Operazione Zero Bollette" (Zero Bills Operation) program that aims to reduce or eliminate customer energy bills. The company distributes these offerings through a network marketing model with 3,000+ commissioned sales collaborators and 500+ authorized installers, complemented by its PEF Power energy consulting sub-brand for electricity and gas utility management.

Product overview

PEF operates as an energy efficiency company with a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering consists of photovoltaic systems (impianti fotovoltaici chiavi in mano) and energy efficiency improvements (Efficientamento Energetico), including the Operazione Zero Bollette program launched in 2010. PEF Power serves as the energy consulting sub-brand providing luce and gas solutions, while Skipper Lab Academy provides training support for the network of over 3,000 sales collaborators. The company also maintains an internal collaborator management platform (Gestionale Collaboratori). PEF S.p.A. serves as the parent company, with operations dating back to 2006 across all of Italy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEF Power: Energy consulting agency for private clients, professionals, and businesses, collaborating with Pef Power S.p.A. for light and gas utility solutions.
• Operazione Zero Bollette

Products and services

• Operazione Zero Bollette (Zero Bills Operation) Energy savings program launched by PEF in 2010 that helps Italian families and businesses reduce or eliminate their energy bills through turnkey photovoltaic installations combined with energy efficiency improvements. Targets both private homeowners and commercial customers.
• PEF Power Energy consulting sub-brand of PEF specializing in electricity (luce) and gas utility management solutions for private clients, professionals, and companies, delivered in partnership with Pef Power S.p.A. Includes dedicated post-sale administration support.
• Impianti Fotovoltaici (Photovoltaic Systems) Turnkey (chiavi in mano) photovoltaic system installations for residential and commercial properties, sold by PEF since 2006 through its network of authorized installers across Italy.
• Efficientamento Energetico (Energy Efficiency Solutions) Energy efficiency retrofitting services targeting Class G energy-inefficient residential buildings (referred to as 'Case Zombie'). Includes improvements to building envelope and systems aimed at reducing energy costs and increasing comfort.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ customers served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AVEDISCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2021AVEDISCO (Associazione Vendite Dirette Servizio Consumatori) is the Italian direct sales association. PEF is a member, having progressed from Candidate Member to Effective Member in October 2017, and was recognized among large AVEDISCO companies in November 2021.
• Pef Power S.p.A.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEF collaborates actively with Pef Power S.p.A. to offer clear, affordable, and customized energy solutions, simplifying the management of electricity and gas utilities for clients. This partnership is central to the PEF Power division's consulting services.
• Skipper LabcoreOthersSkipper Lab is PEF's proprietary academy, described as the only national-level academy that guides sales collaborators step-by-step through both physical and digital training to succeed in network marketing. It operates as an integrated training platform.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edison Energia: Edison Energia is Edison's retail electricity, gas, and energy-efficiency business serving Italian households and SMEs. Comparable to PEF's PEF Power electricity/gas consulting offering and increasingly active in residential efficiency retrofits, though as part of a broader utility portfolio.
• Plenitude (Eni): Plenitude is the Eni-owned integrated energy retailer with a strong Italian retail electricity/gas presence and a growing residential renewable and EV-charging business. Comparable to PEF in targeting Italian households and businesses with bundled energy solutions, but with far greater scale and capital.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric is a global energy management and automation major with a strong Italian presence in residential and commercial energy efficiency solutions. Comparable to PEF at the level of building energy efficiency and energy consulting, but operates as a broad incumbent across many verticals and geographies.
• Enel Energia: Enel Energia is the retail arm of Italy's largest utility, selling electricity, gas, and increasingly bundled residential PV, efficiency, and EV-charging solutions. Overlaps with PEF in Italian residential energy services and solar distribution, but operates as a broad incumbent across many geographies and customer segments.

Regional players

• Sorgenia: Sorgenia is one of Italy's largest independent electricity and gas retailers, serving residential and business customers nationally. Comparable to PEF in Italian residential energy customer acquisition and bundled offerings, but focused on energy retail rather than PV installation.
• Hera Comm: Hera Comm is the retail energy business of Hera Group, serving Italian households and businesses with electricity, gas, and energy-efficiency offerings. Comparable to PEF in targeting Italian residential customers with bundled energy propositions.
• Iren Mercato: Iren Mercato is the retail energy arm of Italian multi-utility Iren, serving residential customers with electricity, gas, and energy services. Comparable to PEF in the Italian residential energy market and adjacent efficiency services.
• Acea (Vivi Energia): Acea, through Vivi Energia, serves Italian residential and business customers with electricity, gas, and increasingly energy efficiency and e-mobility. Comparable to PEF in Italian residential energy services market, with overlapping customer base.
• A2A Energia: A2A Energia is the retail arm of multi-utility A2A, selling electricity and gas and offering energy-efficiency services to Italian households and businesses. Comparable to PEF in serving Italian residential and SME customers with energy-management propositions.

Others

• Enphase Energy: Enphase is a leading global supplier of solar inverters, microinverters, and battery systems widely deployed in Italian residential PV installations. Comparable to PEF as part of the same residential solar value chain, but positioned upstream as a technology supplier rather than as a competing installer/marketer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PefItaliaSpa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pef-spa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PEF