• Energy Research
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AbstractAlthough the application of internal insulation to existing perimeter walls poses significant challenges in terms of building physics and loss of habitable space, it is sometimes an inevitable choice because of practical or legislative constraints. Innovative solutions are then required to deliver satisfying performances and reduce nuisance to inhabitants of residential buildings in case they are going to remain in their flats during the retrofit works.Three systems for inner thermal retrofitting purposes have been designed and produced as prototypes. Two of them are composed by silica aerogel containing fibrous material: the first one is a rigid flat laminated panel, the second one is a rollable solution with a fabric finishing layer. The third insulating system is a perlite based board with a hydrophobic layer. All the materials composing the retrofit solutions have been characterized by means of laboratory tests in order to measure their main hygrothermal properties. In fact, some parameters are fundamental for determining the hygrothermal performance of the composite systems: thermal conductivity, at dry and wet state (moisture dependant), water vapour diffusion resistance factor, hygroscopic sorption at isotherm condition and water absorption coefficient. All those measured data were necessary for optimizing the solutions, guaranteeing energy efficiency and vapour open layers to systems that are intended for installation on existing walls.

Abstract European and Italian standards establish high levels of energy performance of buildings that have to be designed considering their energy balance near zero. To achieve this goal, the reduction of energy demand, attainable by improving energy efficiency of the construction, and the use of renewable energy available both on site and off site are effective solutions to be applied. In particular, in buildings that use energy produced from renewable sources, due to their unstable and unpredictable nature, having the right strategy to compensate the variations is essential. A technical solution reevaluated as a consequence of passive design principles, is to provide an adequate thermal inertia in order to store energy when it is offered and to use it when the source is not available. In these cases, the ability of construction elements to retain heat becomes fundamental as they contribute to maintain internal comfort conditions. This paper aims to investigate how various types of heating and cooling systems, based on different modes of heat transfer, are able to interact differently with the thermal mass of the building, producing a different level of its activation. The investigation considers a case study used to carry out dynamic simulation by means of DesignBuilder which is a user interface of EnergyPlus. The model consists of a building with elementary geometry and a single thermal zone, delimited by walls with outside thermal insulation and a heat accumulation layer inside. The variation of the internal temperature by using different types of conditioning system is analyzed in order to individuate the technology that takes the greatest advantages from the thermal mass.

AbstractIn the last years, the number of installed biofuels power plants is increased in northern Italy, due to favorable legislation on renewable energy sources, posing the issue to assess the resulting environmental effects. The European legislation on emissions for renewable fuels power plants provides guidelines to be integrated in the local regulations; moreover, local authorities have to identify the critical power plants in terms of pollution and the key parameters to grant licenses for the future plants.The aim of this paper is to describe a methodology and the calculation routine developed to assess the environmental effects of biomass plants in terms of simple indexes. The used approach is based on the Cross-Media Effects described by a European Commission Reference Document. In particular, several indexes are introduced to cover the most relevant environmental effects, as: air toxicity, global warming, acidification, eutrophication and photochemical ozone creation. For every considered pollutant (such as NOx, CO, etc.) directly emitted by the power plant, specific factors have been identified, in order to calculate the contribution to the different environmental indexes. Finally, a numerical evaluation of different biomass power plants, installed in Emilia Romagna region, is provided, in order to assess their environmental cross-media potential and to compare such kind of power plants with large scale, fossil-fuelled power plants.

AbstractRecently, great attention has been given to the transition from centralized to distributed generation energy production systems. There is a growing potential regarding the use of trigeneration systems in the residential sector because they have the ability to produce thermal energy and electricity from a single source of fuel.This study has the goal to determine the best systems able to satisfy the demand for electricity and thermal energy for a complex of historic buildings in Rome. Such analysis has been conducted using a specific tool conceived for energetic and financial analysis: the RETScreen software.

AbstractThe first year commissioning activities in 4 multi-family buildings from a zero-carbon neighbourhood is presented, with focus on the operation of the ventilation systems, the indoor climate and user acceptance. The key parameters to detect the main system failures are identified and the effect of the detected defects and failures on the energy performance of the dwellings is explored using dynamic simulations and monitoring data. It is concluded that commissioning of the building systems during occupancy is a vital part of the operational lifetime of a building project in order to achieve the high building performance targets in reality.

Abstract Thermostatically controlled loads in commercial buildings are usually ruled by set points indicated by well-established international standards like EN 15251. These thresholds set the acceptable comfort ranges based on several parameters such as activity level, climatic conditions and building orientation. However, there are so many aspects which can affect the occupant perception of comfort ranging from physical and mental aspects to cultural aspects while only few of them are clearly measurable. This paper presents a methodology for the simultaneous subjective and objective evaluation of thermal comfort in commercial buildings. The methodology is based on the intermediate protocol level for the evaluation of thermal comfort as suggested by ASHRAE’s Performance Measurement Protocols for Commercial Buildings. It is applied in the office spaces of the Loccioni Leaf Lab, located in the province of Ancona, Italy, during the summer period. The study is utilized for the identification of serious thermal comfort issues but also for the determination of the preferred comfort conditions in the Leaf Lab office spaces.

Today 54 % of the world's population resides in urban areas and in 2050 the projections are for 66 %. Therefore, the issue of city sustainability becomes increasingly important. This paper analyzes city energy sustainability with consideration to the complex built environment, high population densities, anthropogenic activities, energy demands, environmental impacts, as well as limits on both space availability and renewable energy sources. The evaluation considers models of thermal energy consumption for both residential and non-residential buildings based on a GIS tool. The thermal energy-use models consider established statistical methods as well as the introduction of energy-dependent urban-scale variables.

AbstractThe energy sustainability, in the era of sources diversification [1], can be guaranteed by an energy resources utilization most correct, foreseeing no predominance of one source over the others in any area of the world but a proper energy mix, based on locally available resources and needs [2]-[4]. In this scenario, manageable with a smart grid system [5], [6], a virtuous use of RES must be visible, recognizable and quantifiable, in one word traceable [7]. The innovation of the traceability concept consists in the possibility of having information concerning the exact origin of the electricity used for a specific end use, in this case EV charging [8]. The traceability, in a context of increasingly sustainability [9], [10] and smartness city, is an important develop tool because only in this way it is possible to quantify the real emissions produced by EVs and to ensure the real foresight of grid load. This paper wants investigate the real ways to introduce this kind of real energy accounting, through the traceability.