Search results for " Buildings"

Analysis of Load Match in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

2018

The concept of load matching refers to the degree of agreement or disagreement of the on-site generation with the building load profiles: it can be increased and optimised with modifications on both the energy demand and generation. In this context, the paper presents the load match analysis of a case study: a modular housing construction (it has an area of 45 m 2 and S/V ratio equal to 2.75 m −1 ) built in Messina (Italy). Moreover, in order to optimize the design of the next test module to be built, a parametric analysis was performed considering different scenarios on the generation side, to explore the effectiveness of the solutions sets used in current design and plan different solutio…

Experimental determination of natural air ventilation rates based on CO2 concentration

2009

This study reports the first results of a survey carried out by the authors on a hall used for conferences, training courses, seminars, and aimed to determine the correlation between the concentration of CO2 and the number of air changes only through natural ventilation. The assessment of ventilation rates was based on the knowledge of the indoor and outdoor CO2 concentrations and of the number of people in the hall. As it is known, the CO2 concentrations can be used as an index for the number of people present in a room and can be evaluated as a function of time by using the Meckler equation in steady-state conditions. In that case it is however necessary that some restrictive hypotheses a…

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF SOLAR COMMUNITIES: A SCENARIO ANALYSIS

The study proposes the comparisonof the life cycle performances of two different energy systems aimed at covering the needs of a large mixed-mode community, in Calgary (Canada). The two systems investigated are a“conventional” one, using heat pumps for heating, cooling and domestic hot water, and another one widely deploying solar thermal panels as well as a district heating infrastructure and a borehole seasonal thermal storage. The analysis is based on the LifeCycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and includes the stages of raw materials and energy supply, system manufacturing, use stage of the systems, generation and use of energy on-site, maintenance and components’ substitution, and explo…

Towards Positive Energy Districts: Energy Renovation of a Mediterranean District and Activation of Energy Flexibility

2023

The paper presents the analysis of energy retrofitting, integration of renewable energy and activation of energy flexibility in a cluster of buildings in the surroundings of a port on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Italy, with the aim of checking the potential for it to achieve the status of positive energy district (PED). The objective of this study is to improve the contemporaneity between local energy generation and energy demand and reduce CO2eq emissions by considering signals that reflect the environmental variability of the electricity grid, through flexibility solutions applied to the HVAC system. The proposed scenarios are based on the dynamic simulation of the district and anal…

Earth in ancient Sicilian architecture / La terra cruda nelle costruzioni della Sicilia antica

2011

Il patrimonio archeologico siciliano, notoriamente fra i più ricchi del territorio nazionale, fornisce importanti testimonianze degli impieghi remoti della terra cruda, mentre le architetture più recenti custodiscono forme di impiego poco appariscenti e meno note a confronto con altre Regioni italiane. La Sicilia offre un campo di osservazione privilegiato per gli impieghi antichi della terra cruda a fini costruttivi innanzitutto perché custodisce numerosi reperti, risalenti ad epoche che vanno dalla preistoria all’età romana e che sono riferibili a tipologie costruttive varie. La principale caratteristica che si può riscontrare, sia nelle più remote origini che nelle successive evoluzioni,…

Sustainable and cost-efficient energy supply and utilisation through innovative concepts and technologies at regional, urban and single-user scales

2019

Abstract The environmental impact of the energy sector and the security and economics of energy supply and utilisation have been raising increasing concerns, stimulating the search for innovative solutions for a sustainable use of resources. This article provides an overview of published research in this area, with a focus on papers contributed in special issues of leading journals dedicated to the series of Conferences on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES), including the articles in the current special issue. Based on this review, research trends are identified and achievements supporting the energy transition are highlighted. The studies that focused…

Municipal Building Regulations for Energy Efficiency in Southern Italy

2014

The building sector is still one of the most energy consuming sectors in Italy, like developed countries in Europe. At European level, the main policy driver related to the energy use in buildings is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2002/91/EC) and its recast. Through the EPBD in- troduction, requirements for certification, inspections, training or renovation are now imposed in Member States. In order to fulfill the expected changes, local regulations are a key factor aiming at sustainable territorial planning. It is thus required support the issue of local rules at municipal level in order to guide local administrators and technicians and to limit discretional power of …

Decoupling Office Energy Efficiency From Employees' Well-Being and Performance: A Systematic Review

2019

Energy efficiency (i.e., the ratio of output of performance to input of energy) in office buildings can reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions, but there are barriers to widespread adoption of energy efficient solutions in offices because they are often perceived as a potential threat to perceived comfort, well-being, and performance of office users. However, the links between offices' energy efficiency and users' performance and well-being through their moderators are neither necessary nor empirically confirmed. The purpose of this study is to carry out a systematic review to identify the existing empirical evidence regarding the relationships between energy-efficient solutions in sustainab…

Historical buildings: luminescence dating of fine grains from bricks and mortar

2010

In the framework of a research program aimed to define the chronology of the structures of the architectonic complex of San Francesco alla Collina (Paternò, Italy), two luminescence dating techniques were applied: Thermoluminescence (TL) on terracotta bricks and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on mortars. Dating a historic building through the age of its bricks can be sometimes complex, for the possible gap between the age of the bricks themselves and that of the structure. Considering that the laying of mortar is contemporary to the construction, the principal objective of the work here presented is the verification of the possibility of solving chronological uncertainties of speci…

Unintended Effects of Energy Efficiency Policy: Lessons Learned in the Residential Sector

2021

The European Union has set an ambitious goal to tackle climate change, and energy efficiency in the residential sector is among the measures required to close the gap between targeted and actual greenhouse gas emissions. While different policy tools have been applied, the diffusion rate of these measures remains low. A system dynamics simulation model of the residential sector was developed to assess the advantages and drawbacks of energy efficiency policy in the multi-family building sector based on experience accumulated over the last twelve years in Latvia. The model was validated in expert group model building sessions and with historical trends. Simulating the model, a hypothesis was t…