Energy flexibility in Mediterranean buildings: a case-study in Sicily

Since the building sector is responsible for 40% of the world’s electricity demand, it is essential to act on it in order to reduce emissions of climate change gases on a global scale, as expressed also in the latest directive on the energy performance of buildings. A design approach that focuses on the energy flexibility of buildings can contribute to the improvement of its energy-environmental performances. In this context, the objective of the study is the analysis of the energy performance of a residential building in Sicily and the definition of strategies aimed at increasing its energy flexibility. In particular, the case study is a 631 m2 single-family house, modeled and simulated in TRNSYS environment. The approach involves the development of scenarios to reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions during the use phase of the building. Rule Based Control algorithms are implemented. The flexible control reacts to a price or emission signal, by modulating the heating set-point accordingly. The results highlighted significant increases in energy flexibility. The economic algorithm achieves savings of 21.46%, accompanied by a 15% reduction in emissions. The environmental algorithm allows to reduce CO2 emissions by about 30%. The economic impact is positive, with a 17.58% reduction in costs.

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The thermomodernization of a single family house located in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains – a case study

Przegląd Naukowy Inżynieria i Kształtowanie Środowiska ◽

10.22630/pniks.2019.28.3.37 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 394-404

Author(s):

Urszula Pawlak ◽

Marcin Pawlak

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Tap Water ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Energy Sources ◽

Single Family ◽

Central Heating ◽

Family House

The paper presents the energy performance of a single-family house located in Domaszowice, the Kielce poviat. The analyzed object has been put into use in 2010 year. Due to the devices using non-renewable energy sources, installed in the building for the needs of hot tap water and central heating, for servicing, which human presence is necessary, two thermomodernizations were performed. The purpose of the calculations was to indicate the financial benefi ts, i.e. to reduce the costs of maintaining the home and to provide its residents with proper comfort of use of the building, bearing in mind also the health aspect. Changes have been proposed to reduce the demand for non-renewable primary energy of EP using renewable energy sources. As a result, the energy-efficient building that meets WT 2017 was obtained. The Certo 2015 program was used in the analysis.

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Computational and the real energy performance of a single-family residential building in Poland – an attempt to compare: a case study

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20171700045 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 00045 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Piotr Kowalski ◽

Paweł Szałański

Keyword(s):

Residential Building ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Single Family ◽

The Real

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BUILDING SURVEY AND ENERGY MODELLING: AN INNOVATIVE RESTORATION PROJECT FOR CASA DEL FASCIO IN COMO

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-2-w11-331-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol XLII-2/W11 ◽

pp. 331-338

Author(s):

A. Buda ◽

S. Mauri

Keyword(s):

Site Investigation ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Performance Simulation ◽

Sustainable Building ◽

Energy Modelling ◽

Improvement Interventions ◽

Definition Of ◽

Open Question ◽

Building Conservation

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Historic buildings are fragile systems to be managed and protected during time: in the task of heritage restoration, efficiency improvement interventions should enable a more sustainable building conservation and use. Such measures might be defined within the combination of building survey and energy performance simulation. A good knowledge of materials and physics characteristics is fundamental to weigh correctly any improvement intervention. This can be supported also by documentary research and diagnostics, to detect existing resources and conservation issues. However, how to match all collected qualitative and quantitative data with a building energy model is still an open question. Energy simulation alone gives a partial vision of heritage needs, excluding information which do not affect the thermal performance of the model; on the contrary, a whole building approach is necessary for defining restoration interventions. With the aim of suggesting a methodology to combine both fields of investigation, a case study has been chosen to our purpose: Giuseppe Terragni’s Casa del Fascio (1936). A multidisciplinary process with the combination of building survey, monitoring campaign, on-site investigation and energy modelling has been functional to the understanding of the real building needs and the definition of interventions. Furthermore, the analysis has given to the rediscover of Terragni’s microclimatic control system (not more existing), leading to the choice of reinventing - in a modern way – the existing devices (as curtains), well-balanced on building needs.</p>

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The delayed effects of flooding a residential building – case study

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201928403009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 284 ◽

pp. 03009

Author(s):

Grzegorz Straż

Keyword(s):

Residential Building ◽

Ground Level ◽

Single Family ◽

Geotechnical Parameters ◽

Delayed Effects ◽

In Situ Conditions ◽

Formation Of Cracks ◽

High Level

The work describes the case of a single-family residential building, which suffered a breakdown due to flooding. Flooded water in the nearby watercourse, did not reach the building directly, but in its vicinity, but raised to a very high level the local groundwater table, which reached locally, even above ground level. This condition was maintained over a longer period of time, causing the soil moisture to rise, and thus its geotechnical parameters deteriorated. The consequence of this, the building underwent an uncontrolled and uneven settlement, which was accompanied by the formation of cracks on the walls. The effects of failure were presented and an attempt was made to identify possible causes of failure. Own study of the substrate was carried out in "in situ" conditions and verification of laboratory tests, and their results are presented on relevant charts and tables.

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Assessment of the Validity of Investing in Energy-Efficient Single-Family Construction in Poland - Case Study

Archives of Civil Engineering ◽

10.1515/ace-2015-0101 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 119-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

K. Tomczak ◽

O. Kinash

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Investment Decisions ◽

Minimal Energy ◽

Single Family ◽

Ahp Method ◽

Energy Efficient Buildings ◽

Custom Made ◽

Polish Law ◽

Family House

AbstractThe article raised issues related to the design and execution of low-energy objects in Polish conditions. Based on the designed single-family house, adapted to the requirements of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (“NF40” standard), the tools to assist investment decisions by investors were shown. An economic analysis and a multi-criteria analysis were performed using AHP method which had provided an answer to the question whether it is worthwhile to bear higher investment costs in order to adjust to the standards of energy-efficient buildings that fulfil a minimal energy consumption's requirements contained in Polish law. In addition, the variant of object that had optimal characteristics due to the different preferences of investors was indicated. This paper includes analysis and observations on the attempts to unify that part of the building sector, which so far is considered to be personalized, and objects in accordance with the corresponding idea are designed as “custom-made”.

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Heat Supply Comparison in a Single-Family House with Radiator and Floor Heating Systems

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings10010005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 5

Author(s):

Amir Vadiee ◽

Ambrose Dodoo ◽

Elaheh Jalilzadehazhari

Keyword(s):

Heat Supply ◽

Heating System ◽

Heat Losses ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Single Family ◽

Heating Systems ◽

Family House ◽

Flooring Material ◽

Floor Heating

Floor heating and radiators are two of the most common types of hydronic heating systems used for space heating in single-family houses in cold climate regions. Notwithstanding, there are few comparative studies on indoor temperature distribution and system cost evaluations for radiators and floor heating. Furthermore, there are no aligned outcomes in terms of total heat supply for a single-family house with radiators or floor heating. In this study, the effect of building energy efficiency level and construction type, including flooring material, on the supply heating demand and transmission heat losses were studied for both radiator and floor heating systems. For this purpose, a single-family house located in Växjö, Sweden, was modeled as a case study. The heating demand was supplied with a district heating system with a similar supply temperature at 45 °C for both the radiator and floor heating system. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to assess the effect of flooring configurations on the annual supply heating demand for both conventional and passive versions of the case-study building. The results showed that the radiator-integrated building had a lower supply heating demand in comparison with the floor heating-integrated buildings. Based on the sensitivity studies, the flooring material did not have a significant influence on the supply heating demand and on the transmission heat losses in the case of the radiators. The supply heating demand was only reduced up to 3% if the flooring U-value was improved by 60%. The results also showed that refurbishment in a standard conventional building with a radiator heating system based on the passive criteria led to a 58% annual energy savings, while this amount for a building with a floor heating system was approximately 49%.

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Housing Preferences of Seniors and Pre-Senior Citizens in Poland—A Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12114599 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 4599 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna Jancz ◽

Radoslaw Trojanek

Keyword(s):

Senior Citizens ◽

The Other ◽

Single Family ◽

City Center ◽

Housing Preferences ◽

Large Cities ◽

Family Housing ◽

The City ◽

Family House

This article identifies and compares the housing preferences of seniors and pre-senior citizens in Poland. In addition, the attitude of residents of large cities in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship towards senior citizens’ housing was determined. Surveys were conducted in the two largest cities of this region. The influence of the potential behaviors of this group of society on the development of housing was also examined. Results showed that differentiation of housing preferences was visible primarily when choosing the type of development and size of the dwelling. Seniors preferred smaller units in multi-family housing construction. Pre-senior citizens, on the other hand, were more likely to think about living in a single-family house. The location of a new dwelling was also important. Seniors, more often than people aged 50–59, chose a location in the city center. Pre-senior citizens, in contrast, more often decided to live in a rural area or outside the city center. Moreover, the attitude of seniors towards senior citizens’ housing is undecided, which may indicate that many people may change their housing preferences in the future and decide to move.

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Identification of the Building Envelope Performance of a Residential Building: A Case Study

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13102469 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 2469

Author(s):

Evi Lambie ◽

Dirk Saelens

Keyword(s):

Heat Exchange ◽

Real Life ◽

Residential Building ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Calculation Methods ◽

Characterization Methods ◽

Target Values

Since households are one of the most energy-intensive sectors in Europe, retrofit of dwellings is promoted to increase energy efficiency. Recent research, however, shows that the energy performance after retrofit does not always meet the target values, which can be caused by amongst other things, a deviating building envelope performance. This paper compares the theoretical and measured building envelope performance for a real-life case study in post-retrofit state, in order to illustrate the limitations of calculation methods and characterization models. First, the performance is evaluated on building scale by verifying the correspondence between the default theoretical heat loss coefficient (HLC) and the measured HLC, which was determined by following the guidelines formulated within IEA EBC Annex 58 and Annex 71. In order to illustrate the limitations of the standard calculation method in real-life conditions, the theoretical variability of the HLC is evaluated, generated by variating infiltration heat losses and heat exchange with neighboring dwellings. Second, the performance is investigated on a component scale by assessing the theoretical and measured thermal resistances, identified from heat flux tests. Additionally, nonhomogeneous assembled components and air leaks are simulated to verify probable causes for the locally varying measured values and to illustrate the limitations of calculations and characterization methods. The results illustrate the limitations of the calculation methods by the assessment of the strong variability of the theoretical HLC, depending on assumptions regarding infiltration and heat exchange with neighboring dwellings. In addition, component simulations indicated that deficiencies on a component scale could be caused by a nonhomogeneous assembly and air cavity flows of the component. Moreover, a detailed assessment of an unreliable thermal resistance illustrates the limitations of the used characterization method. Finally, a contrast was found between the quite good performance on building scale (15% deviation between the theoretical and measured HLC) and poor performance on a component scale (only one out of nine monitored components met their theoretical target values), which illustrates the complexity of the building envelope performance.

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Usability of the EPC Tools for the Profitability Calculation of a Retrofitting in a Residential Building

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10093159 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3159 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alex Gonzalez Caceres ◽

Muriel Diaz

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Cost ◽

Residential Building ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Energy Regulation ◽

The European Union ◽

Financial Assessment ◽

Efficiency Assessment ◽

Consumption Energy ◽

Oil Crisis

After the oil crisis in the 70s energy regulation codes were implemented, but a great portion of existing dwellings have not been retrofitted to current requirements. To face this issue several actions were taken in the European Union (EU), among these, the implementation of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), which include a Recommendation List of Measures (RLMs) to retrofit buildings. Some concerns exist about the lack of confidence on these recommendations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the usefulness of the EPC, answering if it is possible to deliver a realistic financial assessment about renovation strategies using these tools. The study is based on three indicators: Consumption, energy saving variations and profitability. The study is based on a renovation project case study, where simulations and Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) were performed, in order to identify the different results that EPC’s and an energy efficiency assessment could lead to. The results show important differences in all the concepts evaluated.

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