Assessing the overheating risks in Italian existing school buildings renovated with nZEB targets

Zinzi, Michele; Pagliaro, Francesca; Agnoli, Stefano; Iatauro, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2017.12.192

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For example, a ZEB must take the maximum possible advantage of internal heat gains, but, at the same time, it should also limit the occurrence of indoor overheating. Indoor overheating is very frequent [31][32][33][34], and it takes place during more than half of the occupation period. Overheating is a phenomenon highly dependent on the dynamic behavior of the building envelope, and physically-based dynamic building simulation tools such as EnergyPlus [29] ensure very high calculation accuracy, as was reported by Athienitis et al [35], Østergård et al [36], Nord et al [37], Augenbroe [38], Attia [39], Attia et al [40] and Kalema et al [41].…”

Section: Research Scope In Relation To the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial Neural Networks to Optimize Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Projects from the Early Design Stages

et al. 2021

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Building energy modeling (BEM) is used to support (nearly) zero-energy building (ZEB) projects, since this kind of software represents the only available option to forecast building energy consumption with high accuracy. BEM may also be used during preliminary analyses or feasibility studies, but simulation results are usually too detailed for this stage of the project. Aside from that, when optimization algorithms are used, the implied high number of energy simulations causes very long calculation times. Therefore, designers could be discouraged from the extensive use of BEM to conduct optimization analyses. Thus, they prefer to study and compare a very limited amount of acknowledged alternative designs. In relation to this problem, the scope of the present study is to obtain an easy-to-use tool to quickly forecast the energy consumption of a building with no direct use of BEM to support fast comparative analyses at the early stages of energy projects. In response, a set of automatic energy assessment tools was developed based on machine learning techniques. The forecasting tools are artificial neural networks (ANNs) that are able to estimate the energy consumption automatically for any building, based on a limited amount of descriptive data of the property. The ANNs are developed for the Po Valley area in Italy as a pilot case study. The ANNs may be very useful to assess the energy demand for even a considerable number of buildings by comparing different design options, and they may help optimization analyses.

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Section: Research Scope In Relation To the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial Neural Networks to Optimize Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Projects from the Early Design Stages

et al. 2021

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“…Many authors have shown, based on simulation (Figueiredo et al, 2016;van Hooff et al, 2015;Zinzi et al, 2017) and/or monitoring studies (Tabatabaei Sameni et al, 2015;Tink et al, 2018;Yannas & Rodríguez-Álvarez, 2020), that it is often possible to reach acceptable indoor summer thermal conditions using passive strategies only, and without any active cooling system. For future climate scenarios, however, the debate is still open, with some authors warning that these measures could indeed be insufficient (Dodoo & Gustavsson, 2016;Ortiz et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the effectiveness of passive controls for summer thermal comfort in highly insulated dwellings

Dartevelle

Moeseke

Masy

et al. 2023

Building Research & Information

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Among environmental controls, solar shading and ventilative cooling are widely considered as key passive strategies for limiting the overheating risks in buildings. While their application is encouraged through Energy Performance of Buildings Directive regulations, several studies have shown that summer thermal comfort in heating-dominate temperate climates still requires deeper investigation, particularly in low-energy residential buildings. Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected through surveys and monitoring in 147 highly insulated houses in Wallonia (Belgium), this paper gives an overview of the implemented passive strategies and discusses their effectiveness. Statistical tests are conducted to evaluate their impact on both perceived and measured indoor conditions. In general, the results highlight a limited impact of the implemented strategies, questioning their proper operation. Operational modes for environmental controls thus appear crucial, and should better respond to occupants' needs, preferences and control opportunities. At a more general level, the study calls for a better understanding of the barriers inhibiting successful integration and operation of environmental controls, in order to effectively reduce overheating risks in residential buildings and limit future diffusion of active cooling systems with their induced environmental impacts.

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“…The main objective of the present study is to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the indoor environmental quality changes in school buildings undergoing NZEB targeted renovation, starting from the preliminary analyses carried out by the authors in [49]. The study is carried out by numerical analyses focusing on the energy performance, thermal comfort and air quality issues, as well as on the contribution of passive cooling solutions to contrast the indoor overheating risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Built-Environment Quality in Nearly Zero-Energy Renovated Schools: Assessment and Impact of Passive Strategies

et al. 2021

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Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a crucial issue in school buildings, because of the conditions that pupils and students are exposed to. From this assumption, potentialities of retrofit actions with Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) targets were analyzed in existing school buildings, focusing on the impact of such measures of IEQ. Numerical analyses in a transient regime for a typical school building were carried out to assess the impacts on the thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The study took into account several building configurations and three reference cities. The results showed severe overheating risks in retrofitted schools: the operative temperature increased by several degrees with respect to the existing configuration, leading to thermal discomfort for a relevant part of the observation period. Passive techniques, namely external solar protection devices and night ventilative cooling, were applied to assess their mitigation potential. Results showed that the combination of the two solutions restored the pre-retrofit performance. CO2 levels were found to be too high for naturally ventilated buildings, regardless of the building configuration; acceptable levels might be reached only with long opening times of windows, which are unrealistic for real building operation.

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Assessing the overheating risks in Italian existing school buildings renovated with nZEB targets

Cited by 13 publications

References 9 publications

Artificial Neural Networks to Optimize Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Projects from the Early Design Stages

Artificial Neural Networks to Optimize Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Projects from the Early Design Stages

On the effectiveness of passive controls for summer thermal comfort in highly insulated dwellings

On the Built-Environment Quality in Nearly Zero-Energy Renovated Schools: Assessment and Impact of Passive Strategies

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