• Energy Research
• 11. Sustainability close
• 3. Good health close
• IT close
• ES close
• Energy and Buildings close

Given the global energy and environmental situation, the European Union has been issuing directives with increasingly demanding requirements in term of the energy efficiency in buildings. The international competition of sustainable houses, Solar Decathlon Europe (SDE), is aligned with these European objectives. SDE houses are low energy solar buildings that must reach the near to zero energy houses’ goal. In the 2012 edition, in order to emphasize its significance, the Energy Efficiency Contest was added. SDE houses’ interior comfort, functioning and energy performance is monitored. The monitoring data can give an idea about the efficiency of the houses. However, a jury comprised by international experts is responsible for carrying out the houses energy efficiency evaluation. Passive strategies and houses services are analyzed. Additionally, the jury's assessment has been compared with the behavior of the houses during the monitoring period. Comparative studies make emphasis on the energy aspects, houses functioning and their interior comfort. Conclusions include thoughts related with the evaluation process, the results of the comparative studies and suggestions for the next competitions.

Abstract This article focuses on the results obtained by the enforcement of a original greenhouse gas emissions policy, issued in recent years in several municipalities in Northern Italy. The Municipality of Reggio Emilia was one of the firsts in Italy to develop and adopt a voluntary building energy-consumption certification method called Ecoabita, aiming to promote energy efficiency in buildings over its jurisdiction. Several reasons make this project innovative: first, the certification method has been processed through and verified by a quality international agency, secondly the procedure is assisting financial-incentive policies both on mandatory (European Directive 2002/91/CE) and voluntary basis (Municipality Protocol Ecoabita), finally it allows to obtain eligible credits for avoided emissions that can be negotiated on the CO2 exchange market. With specific reference to Reggio Emilia case, acknowledged the amount of actions, that are normally scheduled in the municipality throughout a year, it has been evaluated the benefit, in terms of environmental improvement, descended from the protocol, also projecting their trend in future years up to 2020 as well, demonstrating the scheduled interventions are fundamental in sought of the achievement of the Kyoto and Copenhagen commitments. The entire procedure has been developed in accordance to the parameters given by UNFCCC for these kinds of analyses and has been recently confirmed to be one of the most accurate international accounting procedure by a survey developed by the scientific committee of the European Project LIFE-LAKS.

This paper elaborates different hybrid energy scenarios for applications in small or medium residential building facilities in typical Mediterranean climate conditions. Proposed hybrid energy solutions are based on the split air conditioning units as they are the most used individually energy sources able to cover heating and cooling demands in residential building facilities in considered climate conditions. Four different hybrid energy options have been analysed as they represent highly efficient energy solutions that could reduce overall energy consumption as well as also carbon dioxide emissions from residential sector. For each proposed energy solution a technical aspect was addressed, as well as also an economic aspect through obtained LCOE analysis. Therefore, the proposed and analysed hybrid energy concepts turned out to be a viable energy solution for residential applications as calculated LCOE was competitive with current retail prices of electricity on the EU market. The calculated LCOE ranged from 0.036 €/kWh up to 0.159 €/kWh, depending from the considered hybrid energy solution. The solution with the modified split heat pump system turned out to be most favourable. However, as each solution is characteristic one an additional evaluation framework was developed. Finally, the results of this study could be useful as examples of good practice as well as also a useful guidance for policy makers.

Abstract The primary goal of the project is to design a lighting system that provides the highest visual comfort and conserves energy for different uses and furniture layouts, which considers that the design of the house will be used by many different users. Indoor system designs vary in layout, goals and optics with two levels of intervention: when initially furnished and during daily use. Lighting is managed by a building automation system, which is equipped with motion and daylight sensors and human interfaces with user scenarios. An outdoor design that requires only a standalone system and is powered by photovoltaic and eolic devices has been developed. All systems incorporate LED technology and have been custom-developed for Med in Italy, which resulted in new patents. Lighting system projects have been involved in several competitions, e.g., Med in Italy placed in the Solar Decathlon in Architecture, Electrical Energy Balance, House Functioning, and Sustainability and took third place in the final ranking. Further research developments are in progress and will be seen in next Solar Decathlon Europe in Paris in 2014. This paper describes the project, installation and analyses of the energy savings that the Medinitaly system can achieve compared with traditional solutions. Simulation data are compared with measured data from the period of the Solar Decathlon competition.

Nursing homes are designed and operated to meet general thermal specifications outlined by existing standards. This paper presents adaptive thermal comfort models for nursing homes based on the field survey administered in 100 common rooms of five nursing homes in the Mediterranean climate. The survey included simultaneous measurements of outdoor and indoor environmental parameters and an assessment of the occupants’ thermal comfort sensations using questionnaires. In total, 1,921 subjective questionnaires were obtained. The analysis focused on: Building Operation Mode (naturally ventilated and air-conditioned mode (cooling and heating)); and type of occupant (residents and non-residents (caregivers and therapists)). In naturally ventilated rooms residents were found to be more adaptive than what EN and ASHRAE 55:2020 standards propose (Tc (naturally ventilated) = 0.26 Trm + 18.83 (R2 = 0.81)). Residents in air-conditioned rooms were found to be less sensitive to outdoor conditions (Tc (air-conditioned) = 0.16Trm + 20.41 (R2 = 0,91)) than in naturally ventilated rooms. Both adaptive thermal models fall in limits set by these standards but in the lower acceptable levels. These adaptive thermal comfort models for nursing homes will allow extending the use of natural ventilation and the adoption of setpoint temperatures when air-conditioning is needed with the consequent reduction of heating and cooling use. The authors thank the International Center on Aging (CENIE), the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca (FGUSAL) and the Programa de Cooperación Interreg V-A España – Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020 and the FEDER funds for their financial support of this study under project reference 6/2018_CIE_6. This research was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under R&D project Thecoelen, reference no. PID2019-106777RB-C21. We would also like to thank Sanitas Mayores and specially the Eng. Marc Vallet and Eng. Albert Ayala for providing their nursing homes and helping to collect all the required data. We would also like to extend our appreciation to all the caregivers, maintenance staff and elderly people who participated in this project. Peer Reviewed

Abstract A Solar Chimney (SC) is a passive system harnessing solar energy to ventilate inner spaces and improve occupants’ thermal comfort. The purpose of this study is to determine the time periods of a year most suitable for the use of a SC in terms of thermal comfort under the different climates of Bandar-Abbas (hot and humid), Yazd (hot and arid), Paris (mild and humid) and Toronto (cold and humid). To this aim, a thermosyphonic model – validated against published experimental data – was employed for running dynamic thermal simulations of a residential building using the EnergyPlus software. The optimal time periods of operation of the SC, driven by the values of the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) between −0.7 and +0.7 and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) below 15%, are found to be November and January to April in Bandar-Abbas (2265 h), while for the city of Yazd it comprises the months of April and May together with September and October (2145 h). As for Paris and Toronto, the period spans from June to August, for a total of 1065 and 1620 h respectively. Correlation coefficients disclosing the impact of the increased air mass flow rate revealed a positive impact everywhere during nighttime in terms of indoor air temperatures (from 0.02 in Bandar-Abbas to 0.77 in Yazd). On the other hand, the impact on indoor relative humidity is always negatively correlated, with a peak of −0.73 in Yazd. Year-long comfort conditions are finally displayed in psychometric charts against ASHRAE 55 Standard boundaries.

Abstract Photovoltaic (PV) connected systems are experiencing rapid market growth. This is due to the continually downward trend in PV cost together with government support programs. A scenario has been assumed to analyse the geographical market of PVs. The results provide clear evidence of the influence that some variables have on the profitability of PV investments. This study presents a model for minimising investment risk and maximising the return of a renewable energy portfolio in Italy. The value of the paper is in showing that the energy and CO 2 reduction potential that can be reached through consumer-oriented policy measures, but the paper also looks at the effectiveness and social implications of such measures. Private households possess immense unused potential for energy reductions (and climate protection) that could be realised through gains in energy efficiency, behavioural changes, and extended use of low-emission energy. The focus of energy policy has been on businesses rather than on private households, which are only partly captured by direct policy measures. To achieve the goals of climate policies, the current political and scientific discussion increasingly considers measures that aim to reduce energy consumption in the private sector. Quantitative estimates are presented for economic indicators and will show the various effects of policy measures on the implemented household types.

Abstract This study is focused on the detection of the expected natural lighting levels of some unrealized residential houses of Le Corbusier. The attention and the interest of Le Corbusier on the topic of residential buildings are widely recognized. Moreover, it also relates to the research of growing performances about the quality of indoor environments, where the daylighting has certainly represented an important aspect, which would need further researches. The study aims to highlight new and inedited daylighting analysis for seven unrealized projects: Maison Fuerte, Maison Cumenge, Maison Canneel, Maisons pour Ingenieurs, Maison Fueter, Maisons des Peons and Maisons Rurales, designed by Le Corbusier, confirming and discovering some design criteria of this master of Modern Architecture related to the daylighting. According to the original drawings, available from the Fondation Le Corbusier, reliable and accurate virtual reconstructions of the projects have been made with which daylighting simulations have been performed for every project and indoor spaces. The daylighting simulations are run, by using advanced solar-lighting design tools, which use international standard calculations, providing results about illumination, luminance, daylight autonomy and daylighting factor. In this study, it has been used an experimental method to discover and to evaluate the daylighting performances of the seven unrealized housing projects. The results of the simulations, processed with values, indices and graphical representations, give a quantitative description of the natural light with high reliability, and with it has been possible to highlight the sensible awareness of Le Corbusier regarding daylighting, and considering the natural light as a fundamental parameter into his design strategy.