Sensitivity of heating performance of an energy self-sufficient building to climate zone, climate change and HVAC system solutions

Rubeis, Tullio de; Falasca, Serena; Curci, Gabriele; Paoletti, Domenica; Ambrosini, Dario

doi:10.1016/j.scs.2020.102300

Cited by 35 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…On the other hand, for cities with warmer climates, an air treatment center can bring significant energy benefits. This is mainly due to the efficiency of the air conditioning unit's heat exchanger, which processes warmer outside air in cities with milder climates [69]. Another study on the weather characteristics of European regions aimed to outline energy-saving climate strategies based on human thermal comfort.…”

Section: The Influence Of Climate Zone On Energy Unit Costs By Hospital Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland

Cygańska

Kludacz-Alessandri

2021

Energies

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Energy use in hospitals is higher than in other public buildings, so improving energy efficiency in healthcare buildings is a significant challenge in this sector of engineering. For this, it is necessary to know the various determinants of energy consumption. Until now, the main factor affecting energy consumption in healthcare facilities studied in the literature was hospital capacity. However, the commonly used variables connected with hospital size and the number of beds do not take into account the medical activities carried out in these buildings. Assuming that energy consumption in hospitals is multiple and shaped by many factors that overlap, not only on an individual level but also on a higher scale level, this study devises a more integrated approach to its determinants. This study aims to investigate the determinants of electrical energy costs (EEC) and thermal energy costs (TEC) in Polish hospitals with regard to factors related to their size, work intensity and climate zones. The analysis was carried out using financial and resource data from all Polish hospitals for the years 2010–2019. The study used a multivariate backward stepwise regression analysis. In order to use climate as a moderating variable, a sample of Polish hospitals from 16 Polish NUTS 2 was divided into four climate zones. This article provides new empirical evidence on the determinants of electricity consumption in Polish hospitals related to their size and medical activity, taking into account climate zone as a moderating variable. The results of the analysis show that both electricity and heat consumption in hospitals are positively related to the number of doctors, beds and the number of medical operations performed. As expected, larger hospitals seem to use more energy. Moreover, there is regional heterogeneity in energy consumption in hospitals related to the climatic zone in which they operate. The conducted analysis shows that Polish hospitals located in the warmest climatic zone are characterized by higher energy consumption than hospitals in the coldest zone. It especially regards EEC in surgery hospitals. The warmer the climate zones, the higher intensity in terms of the number of surgeries, the higher EEC. In terms of nonsurgical hospitals, the influence of climate zone on EEC was not observed. Knowing the factors influencing energy consumption in hospitals can facilitate the correct adoption of an energy-saving strategy in the health sector, which is a reasonable response to climate change and supports a healthy and sustainable future.

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Section: The Influence Of Climate Zone On Energy Unit Costs By Hospital Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland

Cygańska

Kludacz-Alessandri

2021

Energies

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“…Continuing with current policies, projections to 2050 foresee CO 2 emissions substantially unchanged from current values, as predicted by the "Stated Policies Scenario" described in [3]. Therefore, to reach the ambitious scenario of "Net Zero Emissions" by 2050, needed to cope with climate changes [4], the efforts to find new solutions with a high energy impact must be further increased, even in the residential sector. In this context, Additive Manufacturing (AM), which is still an emerging and poorly explored field [5], could be very effective in expressing its potential among the possible energy efficiency measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D-Printed Blocks: Thermal Performance Analysis and Opportunities for Insulating Materials

Rubeis

2022

Sustainability

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The building energy balance is strongly influenced by the heat transmission losses through the envelope. This justifies the growing effort to search for innovative and high-performance insulating materials. The 3D printing process, also known as additive manufacturing, is already used in various industrial applications thanks to its ability to realize complex structures with high accuracy. It also represents an emerging and still poorly explored field in the world of “building physics”. The aim of this work is to present the design, realization, and analysis phases of a 3D-printed thermal insulating block. The performance analysis of the block was performed via theoretical and experimental approaches. The testing phase was conducted using a Hot Box specially built for this purpose, which allowed to have known, repeatable, and steady thermal conditions. The experimental phase, based on the infrared thermography technique and heat flow meter method, allowed a preliminary evaluation of the 3D-printed block performance. Moreover, to implement the concept of circular economy, the internal cavities of the block were filled with different recovered waste materials: polystyrene and wool. The results obtained have shown, although preliminarily, the potential of additive manufacturing in the field of insulating materials.

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“…A recent study in the UK by Elsharkawy et al [18] about the effects of retrofit under three different scenarios of future climate showed that occupancy patterns have a significant impact on the predicted duration of overheating. Moreover, in the Italian Apennine Mountains, de Rubeis et al [19] focused on heating energy consumption and estimated it to decrease by 44.8% by 2080.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overheating Risk and Energy Demand of Nordic Old and New Apartment Buildings during Average and Extreme Weather Conditions under a Changing Climate

et al. 2021

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The global average air temperature is increasing as a manifestation of climate change and more intense and frequent heatwaves are expected to be associated with this rise worldwide, including northern Europe. Summertime indoor conditions in residential buildings and the health of occupants are influenced by climate change, particularly if no mechanical cooling is used. The energy use of buildings contributes to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze the effects of climate change on the overheating risk and energy demand of residential buildings and to assess the efficiency of various measures to alleviate the overheating. In this study, simulations of dynamic energy and indoor conditions in a new and an old apartment building are performed using two climate scenarios for southern Finland,one for average and the other for extreme weather conditions in 2050. The evaluated measures against overheating included orientations, blinds, site shading, window properties, openable windows, the split cooling unit, and the ventilation cooling and ventilation boost. In both buildings, the overheating risk is high in the current and projected future average climate and, in particular, during exceptionally hot summers. The indoor conditions are occasionally even injurious for the health of occupants. The openable windows and ventilation cooling with ventilation boost were effective in improving the indoor conditions, during both current and future average and extreme weather conditions. However, the split cooling unit installed in the living room was the only studied solution able to completely prevent overheating in all the spaces with a fairly small amount of extra energy usage.

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Sensitivity of heating performance of an energy self-sufficient building to climate zone, climate change and HVAC system solutions

Cited by 35 publications

References 44 publications

Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland

Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland

3D-Printed Blocks: Thermal Performance Analysis and Opportunities for Insulating Materials

Overheating Risk and Energy Demand of Nordic Old and New Apartment Buildings during Average and Extreme Weather Conditions under a Changing Climate

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