Search results for " Buildings"
showing 10 items of 151 documents
Energy measurements at Skarpnes zero energy homes in Southern Norway: Do the loads match up with the on-site energy production?
2017
Five houses are designed as zero-energy homes in Skarpnes, Norway. The energy goal is to achieve net zero-energy balance on an annual basis. The houses have heat pumps and solar cells (PV). Energy use and delivered energy have been monitored from June 2015. Variations between calculations and measurements are explained by technical and non-technical reasons. For the first year, higher than expected energy loads result in a solar energy cover factor of 65–87% of delivered electricity. The PV generation performs satisfactorily, hence, it may be possible to achieve energy goals during later years provided technical adjustments or behavioral changes. Acknowledgements. This report has been writt…
Redesign of a Rural Building in a Heritage Site in Italy: Towards the Net Zero Energy Target
2017
In order to achieve the ambitious objective of decarbonising the economy, it is mandatory, especially in Europe and in Italy, to include the retrofitting of existing buildings. In a country where a large share of existing buildings have heritage value, it is important to design effective retrofit solutions also in historical buildings. In this context, the paper describes the experience of re-design of an existing rural building located in Sicily, inside the ancient Greeks' “Valley of the Temples”. An energy audit was performed on the building, and its energy uses were thoroughly investigated. A building model was developed in the TRNSYS environment and its performances validated. The valid…
Transient Modelling of Thermal Conditions in Test Buildings Including Radiation
2015
Abstract To increase the energy efficiency of buildings in Latvia's climate a comparative study with five experimental test buildings have been set up in Riga, Latvia. Different thermo physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, air velocity, etc. were monitored to better understand different behaviour of the building envelope. This gives an excellent validation possibility for the CFD model that in future could predict conditions in buildings with different envelopes. Previously a stationary model and transient model were considered without taking into consideration the thermal radiation. This study continues the previous work that was done and proposes a transient model which takes…
Allocation of actuators and sensors for coupled-adjacent-building vibration attenuation
2013
An actuator and sensor allocation approach is proposed for the design of coupled-adjacent-building vibration suppression under seismic excitation. This paper first establishes a full-order model of adjacent buildings with the location information of actuators and sensors. Then, the order of the model is reduced via modal cost analysis, by retaining the modes contributing the most. In view of the fact that the output powers of the actuators are limited, this paper brings forward a mixed H∞/GH2 control. By considering that not all the states of the system can be measured by the sensors, a dynamic output feedback controller is designed. The genetic algorithm is employed to obtain the locations…
Analysis of Thermal Comfort Conditions and Actual Energy Efficiency for Different Heating Systems in Test Buildings
2015
The aim of this study is detailed analysis of long-term monitoring data on thermal comfort conditions and energy efficiency in small test buildings equipped with different heating systems. Calculations of PPD index and local thermal discomfort factors, as well as actual energy efficiency ratios for different heat pump systems are provided for the test buildings during three weeks of the heating season. It is shown that the type of heating system has an influence not only on heating energy needs, but also on thermal comfort conditions in the room.
Promotion of polygeneration for buildings applications through sector- and user-oriented “high efficiency CHP” eligibility criteria
2014
Abstract The eligibility criteria adopted to assess polygeneration plants as “highly efficient” can play a determinant role in favouring or discouraging the market growth of polygeneration systems, especially for buildings applications where economic viability is often more difficult to achieve. Based on the current European framework, in this paper the opportunity to adopt sector- and user-oriented criteria is discussed. After having identified three buildings with different uses (a large hotel, a hospital and an office building), the optimal lay-out and operation strategy of a polygeneration plant serving each building is determined; then, ex-post processing of economic and energetic resu…
Upwards - Vertical extensions of masonry built heritage for sustainable and antifragile urban densification
2021
Abstract Urban densification represents one of the biggest universal challenges of contemporary cities: the increase of urban population requires new spaces to accommodate the growing demand for housing, working and tertiary activities. However, the land available for new constructions in highly urbanized areas is very limited. In this framework, the vertical extension of existing buildings is the most sustainable strategy and fascinating. Masonry structures , constituting a major part of the built stock in the historical city centres of several European countries, are particularly suitable for vertical addition of extra-floors, since they generally exhibit an adequate overstrength for bear…
A comprehensive tool for efficient design and operation of polygeneration-based energy μgrids serving a cluster of buildings. Part II: Analysis of th…
2013
Abstract The potential of polygeneration systems, in terms of profitability, energy saving and pollutant emissions reduction, highly depends on several factors such as plant efficiency, local normative and tariff conditions and reference technologies adopted to compare the results. In Part I of this paper a reliable tool was described, capable of optimizing the lay-out, design and operation of an integrated polygeneration system serving a cluster of buildings with their heat, cooling and power demand; the tool represents an excellent instrument to perform sensitivity analyses, thus enabling the analyst to formulate general design criteria and predict the effects of any change in the boundar…
Life cycle energy performances of a Net Zero Energy prefabricated building in Sicily
2017
The paper presents the energy performances in a life cycle perspective of a prefabricated building. The building was simulated in energy plus and validated on monitored data. To avoid the shifting of energy burdens from one life cycle stage to others, a Life Cycle Energy Assessment was performed. The primary energy use throughout the building's life cycle is 1,242 GJ. The materials production stage consumes the highest amount of primary energy (680 GJ) followed by the use stage (484 GJ), while the construction and end-of-life require respectively 1.7 % and the 4.6 % of total primary energy. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific c…
Smart Cities and Municipal Building Regulation for Energy Efficiency
2015
The “Smart Cities & Communities Initiative” of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan is the strategic European response to lead cities and regions to a carbon free future. In this contest energy efficiency in buildings has a crucial role and must be considered in a holistic approach to the urban planning. In order to implement the minimum requirements stated by the European Directive about the Energy Performance of Buildings, and in order to consider different planning layers with the view to a smart city planning, local regulations are a key factor aiming at sustainable territorial planning. This paper investigates the possibility to draft a basic structure of Municipal Building Regulat…