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Dr. Rosa Francesca De Masi
Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy

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0 Dynamic Simulation
0 Experimental Analysis
0 building energy saving
0 Historic Buildings
0 Innovative materials

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Experimental Analysis
Innovative materials

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Journal article
Published: 06 August 2021 in Sustainability
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One of the strategies of the European Green Deal is the increment of renewable integration in the civil sector and the mitigation of the impact of climate change. With a statistical and critical approach, the paper analyzes these aspects by means of a case study simulated in a cooling dominated climate. It consists of a single-family house representative of the 1980s Italian building stock. Starting from data monitored between 2015 and 2020, a weather file was built with different methodologies. The first objective was the evaluation of how the method for selecting the solar radiation influences the prevision of photovoltaic productivity. Then, a sensitivity analysis was developed, by means of modified weather files according to representative pathways defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. The results indicate that the climate changes will bring an increment of photovoltaic productivity while the heating energy need will be reduced until 45% (e.g., in March) and the cooling energy need will be more than double compared with the current conditions. The traditional efficiency measures are not resilient because the increase of the cooling demand could be not balanced. The maximization of installed photovoltaic power is a solution for increasing the resilience. Indeed, going from 3.3 kWp to 6.9 kWp for the worst emission scenario, in a typical summer month (e.g., August), the self-consumption increases until 33% meanwhile the imported electricity passes from 28% to 17%.

ACS Style

Rosa De Masi; Valentino Festa; Antonio Gigante; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Vanoli. Effect of Climate Changes on Renewable Production in the Mediterranean Climate: Case Study of the Energy Retrofit for a Detached House. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8793 .

AMA Style

Rosa De Masi, Valentino Festa, Antonio Gigante, Margherita Mastellone, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Vanoli. Effect of Climate Changes on Renewable Production in the Mediterranean Climate: Case Study of the Energy Retrofit for a Detached House. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8793.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa De Masi; Valentino Festa; Antonio Gigante; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Vanoli. 2021. "Effect of Climate Changes on Renewable Production in the Mediterranean Climate: Case Study of the Energy Retrofit for a Detached House." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8793.

Journal article
Published: 05 August 2021 in Sustainability
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The increasing attention paid to climate change has boosted scientific research in the matter of energy refurbishment of existing public buildings. However, the design of the intervention must be integrated with structural upgrading when the constructions are located in seismic zones. Indeed, in Italy, as in other seismically active countries, the structural damage, observed after earthquakes, underlines the increase in economic losses for buildings retrofitted only for energy saving. In this framework, the paper introduces an integrated approach for selecting retrofit actions aimed at improving both the seismic and energy performance, starting from a detailed in situ analysis with which dynamic energy and structural simulation models are constructed. The case study is an auditorium erected in 1982 with a reinforced concrete structure inside a masonry ring wall of an ancient building. A step-by-step analysis of each component role in the structural and energy performance of the building is proposed. The results indicate that the proposed approach can help to determine the best technical solution, and the integrated design leads to saving 10% of the cost of the works.

ACS Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Francesco Tariello; Rosa De Masi; Maria Pecce. Comparison of Different Solutions for a Seismic and Energy Retrofit of an Auditorium. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8761 .

AMA Style

Alessandra De Angelis, Francesco Tariello, Rosa De Masi, Maria Pecce. Comparison of Different Solutions for a Seismic and Energy Retrofit of an Auditorium. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8761.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Francesco Tariello; Rosa De Masi; Maria Pecce. 2021. "Comparison of Different Solutions for a Seismic and Energy Retrofit of an Auditorium." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8761.

Journal article
Published: 23 July 2021 in Sustainability
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The achievement of sustainable cities and communities is closely linked to an accurate design of the buildings. In this context, the transparent elements of the building envelope have a crucial role since, on one hand, they are a bottleneck in regards to heat and mass transfers and sound propagation, while, on the other hand, they must allow daylight penetration. Thus, they are responsible for occupants’ thermal and visual comfort and their health. Considering passive solutions for windows, the light shelves can improve natural light penetration, reducing the lights’ electricity demand and controlling windows’ related thermal aspects. The scientific literature is characterized by several studies that analyze this topic, which, however, focus only on the daylight field and sometimes the energy saving for lights. Moreover, they often refer to fixed sky type for the simulations. The aim of the present study is to analyze the application of the light shelves with a multi-disciplinary approach, by means of dynamic simulations, in the EnergyPlus engine, for a whole year. A new methodological approach is presented in order to investigate the technology under different fields of interest: daylight, lighting energy, cooling and heating needs, and thermo-hygrometric comfort. The case study chosen is an existing building, a student dormitory belonging to the University of Athens. It is subject to a deep energy renovation to conform to the “nearly Zero Energy Building” target, in the frame of a European research project called Pro-GET-onE (G.A No. 723747). By means of the calibrated numerical model of this HVAC–building system, ten different configurations of light shelves have been investigated. The best solution is given by the application of an internal horizontal light shelf placed at 50 cm from the top of the window with a depth of 90 or 60 cm. It has been found that despite the reduction in electricity demand for lighting, the variation in heating and cooling needs does not always lead to a benefit.

ACS Style

Silvia Ruggiero; Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa De Masi; Filippo de Rossi; Anastasia Fotopoulou; Dimitra Papadaki; Giuseppe Vanoli; Annarita Ferrante. Multi-Disciplinary Analysis of Light Shelves Application within a Student Dormitory Refurbishment. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8251 .

AMA Style

Silvia Ruggiero, Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos, Rosa De Masi, Filippo de Rossi, Anastasia Fotopoulou, Dimitra Papadaki, Giuseppe Vanoli, Annarita Ferrante. Multi-Disciplinary Analysis of Light Shelves Application within a Student Dormitory Refurbishment. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8251.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Ruggiero; Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa De Masi; Filippo de Rossi; Anastasia Fotopoulou; Dimitra Papadaki; Giuseppe Vanoli; Annarita Ferrante. 2021. "Multi-Disciplinary Analysis of Light Shelves Application within a Student Dormitory Refurbishment." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8251.

Journal article
Published: 12 June 2021 in Applied Sciences
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The need to increase the level of quality of indoor environments requires an extremely accurate definition of the microclimatic requisites to guarantee, in the spaces where people live and work, global and local conditions of comfort, considering, at the same time, the aspects related to energy savings and environmental sustainability. In this framework, the paper proposes a comparison of indoor parameters for three different types of heating emitters: fan-coils, baseboards heaters, and radiant floor systems. The comparison is based on seasonal monitoring performed in a test-room located in a Mediterranean climate; it can simulate an insulated room with office usage. The proposed indices demonstrate that the floor radiant system is characterized by lower horizontal and vertical differences in air temperature distribution that can guarantee more comfortable conditions and lower heat losses. The operative temperature is often higher than the neutral point; thus, management with a lower set-point temperature should be experimented with in further studies. More generally, the introduced method could help designers to choose the proper system and management strategy with the dual purpose to select a comfortable but energy savings-oriented operating temperature.

ACS Style

Rosa Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Vanoli. Experimental Comparison of Heating Emitters in Mediterranean Climate. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 5462 .

AMA Style

Rosa Masi, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Vanoli. Experimental Comparison of Heating Emitters in Mediterranean Climate. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (12):5462.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Vanoli. 2021. "Experimental Comparison of Heating Emitters in Mediterranean Climate." Applied Sciences 11, no. 12: 5462.

Journal article
Published: 05 April 2021 in Energy and Buildings
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This study investigates the thermo-hygrometric behaviour in wintertime of an open-joint ventilated façade, designed to be environmentally sustainable. It is the result of the Horizon Project “RE4 – REuse and REcycling of CDW materials and structures in energy efficient pREfabricated elements for building REfurbishment and construction” and it is composed by prefabricated elements made by recycled materials from construction and demolition waste. The designed façade has been installed in a full scale test-room located in Benevento (south Italy), with typical Mediterranean climate. The proposed analysis suggests that for the behaviour of the designed façade, the main influential factors are the solar radiation and the outdoor air temperature meanwhile the wind effect is negligible. Some mathematical correlations have been found and an empirical model that describes the air temperature in the cavity as a function of the external climatic parameters is developed. These findings could be useful for the assessment of performance of similar facades in the design phase but also for comparing the behaviour in different climates. All tests demonstrate that in winter time, in a humid and rainy climate, the prevalent effect is the insulation and the ventilation does not increase the heat losses. The designed system can effectively control the moisture content in the building envelope materials, ensuring dry surfaces and at the same time avoid the alteration of the thermo-hygrometric characteristics for the bacteria and mould proliferation, ensuring healthy environment and avoiding structural damage.

ACS Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hygro-thermal performance of an opaque ventilated façade with recycled materials during wintertime. Energy and Buildings 2021, 245, 110994 .

AMA Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hygro-thermal performance of an opaque ventilated façade with recycled materials during wintertime. Energy and Buildings. 2021; 245 ():110994.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2021. "Hygro-thermal performance of an opaque ventilated façade with recycled materials during wintertime." Energy and Buildings 245, no. : 110994.

Journal article
Published: 23 February 2021 in Journal of Building Engineering
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It is believed that the overall environmental impacts of a nearly zero energy building (nZEB) are lower than conventional buildings. A question remains: is the most energy efficient solution also the best one in term of environmental sustainability? This paper tries to answer to this question by means of a holistic approach for the combined energy and environmental assessment also considering a new impact analysis method with different weights’ assignment. This approach is applied to a case study of a real nZEB. A sensitivity analysis on the materials selection, on the size and type of photovoltaic system with or without storage is proposed for different climates. The overall results of carried out analyses, indicate that a balance point between energy saving measures and renewable energy should be reached for minimizing the environmental impacts according to the life cycle approach. The combined analysis suggests that under both energetic and environmental point of views, in Mediterranean and Continental climates, it does not pay off to further increase the insulation level also by using innovative materials as vacuum insulation panels. Instead, the environmental analysis indicates that the maximization of installed photovoltaic power, without the integration of the storage system, is the best way to nullify the impacts considering a life-cycle of 50 years. On the contrary, the energy analysis does not recommend to exceed with the installed power but it suggests to associate a storage system for increasing the building self-consumption.

ACS Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Are nZEB design solutions environmental sustainable? Sensitive analysis for building envelope configurations and photovoltaic integration in different climates. Journal of Building Engineering 2021, 39, 102292 .

AMA Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi, Antonio Gigante, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Are nZEB design solutions environmental sustainable? Sensitive analysis for building envelope configurations and photovoltaic integration in different climates. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 39 ():102292.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2021. "Are nZEB design solutions environmental sustainable? Sensitive analysis for building envelope configurations and photovoltaic integration in different climates." Journal of Building Engineering 39, no. : 102292.

Journal article
Published: 12 February 2021 in Materials
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The use of renewable and natural materials characterized by the low environmental impact is nowadays a key issue for the sustainable development of the construction industry. For this reason, the interest for natural fibers, to be used as reinforcement in composites as an alternative to other fibers, is continuously growing. In this paper, the use of hemp for reinforcing lime mortar used as plaster is considered with a multidisciplinary approach, taking into consideration the structural and thermal performance. Natural fibers have several advantages compared to industrial ones, such as low cost, low environmental impact, biodegradability, renewable nature. Moreover, these can show remarkable mechanical performance in relation to specific weight, and sometimes, as in the case of hemp fibers, these can improve the thermal insulation capacity of the plaster. However, the experimental results on the mechanical features are still lacking, especially to assess their durability, and the variability of thermal parameters with the mechanical characteristics. Therefore, this paper proposes an experimental program, developed at Laboratory of Materials and Structures (LAMAS) of the University of Sannio (Italy), aimed at investigating the main mechanical properties (compression strength, flexural strength) of lime mortar reinforced by hemp fibers and subjected to various environmental exposures and aging processes. The characterization is completed with the measurement for the produced samples of the thermal conductivity by means of the standardized guarded hot plate technique.

ACS Style

Eliana Parcesepe; Rosa De Masi; Carmine Lima; Gerardo Mauro; Maria Pecce; Giuseppe Maddaloni. Assessment of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hemp-Lime Mortar. Materials 2021, 14, 882 .

AMA Style

Eliana Parcesepe, Rosa De Masi, Carmine Lima, Gerardo Mauro, Maria Pecce, Giuseppe Maddaloni. Assessment of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hemp-Lime Mortar. Materials. 2021; 14 (4):882.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eliana Parcesepe; Rosa De Masi; Carmine Lima; Gerardo Mauro; Maria Pecce; Giuseppe Maddaloni. 2021. "Assessment of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hemp-Lime Mortar." Materials 14, no. 4: 882.

Journal article
Published: 14 November 2020 in Energy and Buildings
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The optimal control of the HVAC system in the nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) can be considered as a challenge. Indeed, the lack of data given by monitored data does not allow understanding what are the implications of different strategies on thermal comfort and energy consumptions. This paper determines an approach for the evaluation of the management of the heating system in an existing educational nZEB. The aim is to understand how the energy efficiency of the heating system is sensitive to controls strategies and the important role played by the control systems. The test lecture rooms on KU Leuven Ghent Technology Campus (Belgium) have been chosen as case study. A deep analysis, starting from an in-field monitoring, was carried out during the winter period of 2019, in order to assess the actual operation and the energy use of building systems under real conditions. Then, a building energy simulation (BES) model of the building and its systems was developed and calibrated against the real monitoring data. Control strategies of the heating system are simulated and compared to the current configuration. The simulation results show that strategies based on a definition of a heating curve for the boiler can reduce the comfortable time (−23%). Controlling the temperature inside the storage tank as a function of the outdoor temperature together with the control on the activation of the air handling unit result in an energy savings from 32% to 46%, with a correspondent increase of comfort time in the period from 0.6% to 3.4% compared to the baseline scenario, depending to the relationship between the external temperature and water temperature inside the water storage tank.

ACS Style

Martina Borrelli; Bart Merema; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli; Hilde Breesch. Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation. Energy and Buildings 2020, 231, 110616 .

AMA Style

Martina Borrelli, Bart Merema, Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli, Hilde Breesch. Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 231 ():110616.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martina Borrelli; Bart Merema; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli; Hilde Breesch. 2020. "Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation." Energy and Buildings 231, no. : 110616.

Journal article
Published: 27 October 2020 in Buildings
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The paper introduces a new semi-probabilistic methodology for the definition of energy fragility curves suitable for a macro-classification of building stock inspired to and coupled with the widely adopted method of seismic fragility curves. The approach is applied to the reinforced concrete residential buildings of the Italian stock. Starting from a classification according to the climatic zone and the construction period, some reference buildings in terms of building envelope typologies have been defined and simulated by means of dynamic modeling tools. Then, cumulative distributions of the probability that the primary energy consumption for heating was comparable with certain threshold values are defined according to the climatic conditions expressed with the heating degree days, which constitute the intensity measure for the fragility curves. Finally, by focusing on the interaction points between structural and energetic aspects, it is shown how these curves can be useful for decision-makers with regards to definition of importance and or the level of intervention to be made to the building envelope for improving its seismic safety and the energy quality. Indeed, non-integrated interventions are more expensive and less efficient.

ACS Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Maria Rosaria Pecce; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings. Buildings 2020, 10, 194 .

AMA Style

Alessandra De Angelis, Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Maria Rosaria Pecce, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings. Buildings. 2020; 10 (11):194.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Maria Rosaria Pecce; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings." Buildings 10, no. 11: 194.

Journal article
Published: 13 August 2020 in Applied Energy
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The lack of data on the aging rate, under real operating conditions, is one of the most critical aspects for the diffusion of vacuum insulation panels in the building sector. This problem is analyzed in this paper by means of an integrated experimental-numerical approach. The panels under investigation are characterized by micro-porous silica pressed powder core with an aluminum barrier layer, for a total thickness of 10 mm. These are the insulation layer of a wall made of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks (total thickness of 21 cm) placed in a test room located in Benevento (south Italy). The experimental analysis is focused on the monitoring of heat flux and temperatures in order to evaluate the performance by means of the comparison with the same wall without insulation and for the indirect determination of the aging after five years (2015–2020). Results indicate an increment of thermal conductivity of 10.6%. Moreover, basing on experimental data, a semi-empirical linear function is appropriate to approximate the aging trend. A numerical case study, that implement the obtained aging trend, shows that the increment of thermal conductivity of vacuum insulation panels brings a reduction of the expected energy saving of 3% after 15 years. This result is true for several European cities with heating dominated climates.

ACS Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Multi-layered wall with vacuum insulation panels: Results of 5-years in-field monitoring and numerical analysis of aging effect on building consumptions. Applied Energy 2020, 278, 115605 .

AMA Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Multi-layered wall with vacuum insulation panels: Results of 5-years in-field monitoring and numerical analysis of aging effect on building consumptions. Applied Energy. 2020; 278 ():115605.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Multi-layered wall with vacuum insulation panels: Results of 5-years in-field monitoring and numerical analysis of aging effect on building consumptions." Applied Energy 278, no. : 115605.

Journal article
Published: 12 August 2020 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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Phase change materials receive increasing attention for their potential to make building environmentally sustainable and to reduce the overheating problem. Quantitative results are needed for understanding the incidence on the energy balance of low consumption buildings and for estimating the possible increment of renewable energy self-consumptions. With this aim, by means of a multi-stage approach, the optimal configuration for microencapsulated materials integration in term of melting properties, thickness and position is discussed. It is considered the application of different management strategies for the heating and cooling system and the variability of weather conditions. The influence of insulation type and back wall technology is also explored. The results for the case study, a single-family home already certified as nearly zero energy building, highlights the potentialities in term of reduction of the cooling demand for Mediterranean and Continental climate but also the penalty due to reduction of solar gain during the winter.

ACS Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Numerical analysis of phase change materials for optimizing the energy balance of a nearly zero energy building. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020, 63, 102441 .

AMA Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi, Antonio Gigante, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Numerical analysis of phase change materials for optimizing the energy balance of a nearly zero energy building. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020; 63 ():102441.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Numerical analysis of phase change materials for optimizing the energy balance of a nearly zero energy building." Sustainable Cities and Society 63, no. : 102441.

Journal article
Published: 23 June 2020 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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The paper discusses the results of a monitoring campaign performed during the spring and autumn with the purpose to evaluate the operational energy performance of an existing nearly zero energy building (nZEB). It is located in Benevento, a middle-size city of South Italy with typical Mediterranean climate. A methodology for real-time nZEB performance analysis is proposed by taking into consideration the implications of the continuous interplay between external conditions and indoor occupant requirements as well as between on-site generation and the building loads with the resulting interaction with the energy grid. It takes into account the inertial properties of building envelope and the occupant perception in term of thermo-hygrometric and visual comfort as well as of indoor air quality. Compilation and assessment of appropriate quantitative indicators are proposed basing on data with hourly time step for finding the optimal management of the internal and external shades and the ventilation system. Moreover it is discussed how daily variations can influence the efficiency of the whole building-HVAC system with particular attention to the pre-handling system based on an earth-water heat exchanger.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanol. Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020, 61, 102349 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Martina Borrelli, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanol. Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020; 61 ():102349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanol. 2020. "Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study." Sustainable Cities and Society 61, no. : 102349.

Journal article
Published: 09 June 2020 in Energy and Buildings
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The necessity to predict building energy performance assumes a predominant role today. Present regulations in energy matter introduce pressing objectives for the energy requalification of buildings. Within spring 2020, EU Member States must adopt the European Directive 2018/844, which focuses the attention on present buildings. It establishes new obligations to retrofit the existing building stock. Solutions to improve building energy performance and to achieve economic, energy, and environmental benefits become mandatory, requiring robust and reliable procedures for energy modeling and simulation. The present study will show the importance of considering a non-standard occupant profile in energy performance simulations. The investigated edifice is a typical residential building in Naples (southern part of Italy, Mediterranean climate), built during the sixties and seventies. For the energy retrofit of the building, the most common refurbishment interventions in the Neapolitan building stock will be assessed for energy, economic and emissions savings, and thus new thermal insulation and replacement of windows. Firstly, the results will be analyzed by taking into account a standard-use profile of the occupants. Secondly, the possible wrong behaviors of users will be examined, to compare an “energy-intensive” model with the standard retrofitted model. The impact on building energy demand of the following actions will be analyzed: more energy-intensive use of the electric and lighting systems, the opening of the windows during the activation hours of the heating/cooling systems, the modification of the thermostat setpoint, the deactivation of the shading systems. The study shows a considerable increase in energy demand, following the wrong behavior of the occupants, which affects the economic convenience of the refurbishment investment. The energy retrofit is economically and energetically feasible for a standard building occupation, but sometimes wrong habits can reduce the convenience, if energy-intensive behaviors occur. This work will show that, when the numerical building model of a common building refurbishment is realized and when the cost-benefits analysis is performed, the uncertainty in occupant behavior cannot be neglected.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits. Energy and Buildings 2020, 223, 110217 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 223 ():110217.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits." Energy and Buildings 223, no. : 110217.

Journal article
Published: 06 May 2020 in Sustainability
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In the 21st century, sustainable development is high on the international agenda, with the implementation of green walls contributing significantly to achieving environmental and social benefits, mainly in the frame of sustainable improvement of the building sector. The installation of a greening system can provide engineered solutions for stormwater management and climate change mitigation at both the urban and building level. This facilitates improving indoor comfort conditions and reducing energy needs. In order to improve the features of products and to facilitate the implementation of a proper technical standard, this paper proposes a critical bibliographic analysis of more recent scientific works. Moreover, by means of a numerical model of an existing single-family apartment, placed in the Mediterranean climate zone, a building envelope refurbishment with a living wall is carried out. A parametric analysis provides evidence for the application of different plants’ types and insulation materials. The results are analyzed considering the energy needs, the thermo-hygrometric comfort, and the outdoor surface temperature variation of the building envelope, emphasizing that a multi-criteria design approach is needed for green vertical systems. The paper provides data and an approach useful for designers and researchers in the evaluation and optimization of the performance of greening systems.

ACS Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Filippo De Rossi; Dimitra Papadaki; Silvia Ruggiero. Green Wall Design Approach Towards Energy Performance and Indoor Comfort Improvement: A Case Study in Athens. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3772 .

AMA Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Filippo De Rossi, Dimitra Papadaki, Silvia Ruggiero. Green Wall Design Approach Towards Energy Performance and Indoor Comfort Improvement: A Case Study in Athens. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3772.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Filippo De Rossi; Dimitra Papadaki; Silvia Ruggiero. 2020. "Green Wall Design Approach Towards Energy Performance and Indoor Comfort Improvement: A Case Study in Athens." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3772.

Review
Published: 06 May 2020 in Energies
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The green wall is an engineered technology for stormwater management and climate change mitigation at the urban level. At the building scale, these energy efficiency measures are suitable for improving indoor comfort conditions and for reducing energy needs. Several guidelines are available about vertical greening systems, but these propose design parameters and performance evaluation criteria, often incomparable. In order to facilitate the implementation of proper technical standards, this paper proposes a critical review of more recent scientific investigations. All parameters for the design optimization are discussed as well as the achievable social and private benefits by taking into consideration the type of study (numerical or experimental), the climate conditions, the analysis period, all technical requirements of the green layer as well as of the back wall. The review underlines that a multi-criteria design approach is needed for green vertical systems. Thus, the paper is concluded with a SWOT analysis, evidencing “strengths”, “weaknesses”, “opportunities” and “threats”. The analysis shows that the highlighted benefits will acquire greater relevance considering the increase in global temperatures and the growing need to redevelop densely built urban centers, while some negative aspects may be filled in the future with a deeper preparation of designers and careful choice of materials. The review paper shows, therefore, drivers and barriers occurring designing and implementing green walls.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches. Energies 2020, 13, 2296 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches. Energies. 2020; 13 (9):2296.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches." Energies 13, no. 9: 2296.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Renewable Energy
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The main purpose of this study is to evaluate, based on experimental data, the potential of pre-cooling the ventilation air based on ground-to-water heat exchanger, coupled with an intermediate water-to-air exchanger, during the summer period. The case study for this investigation is an existing nearly zero energy building located in Benevento, a middle-size city of South Italy with typical Mediterranean climate. Measurements of several performance parameters with four different HVAC possible configurations are shown as well as monitoring of energy uses and indoor microclimatic conditions in order to verify if comfort conditions inside the building are guaranteed together with the achievement of ‘nearly zero energy target’. Indeed, the study intends to assess the interaction between building and power grid and evaluate the temporal correspondence between building load and PV generation with hourly time step. The discussion about the hourly energy balance serves as reference to export or improve management and design strategies in regions with comparable climate conditions.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air. Renewable Energy 2020, 155, 950 -968.

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Martina Borrelli, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air. Renewable Energy. 2020; 155 ():950-968.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air." Renewable Energy 155, no. : 950-968.

Articles
Published: 11 February 2020 in Journal of Building Performance Simulation
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This study proposes a replicable approach for evaluating the impact of different weather data sources during the building refurbishment. Starting from a deep energy diagnosis, the numerical model is calibrated by using the weather data and the energy billings of the same year. Then, the performance gap is evaluated due to the adoption of conventional or new weather files defined with data recently monitored in areas with different levels of urbanization. The final step is a sensitivity analysis on the energy, environmental and economic indexes for the refurbishment interventions. The proposed approach is applied to the student dormitory of the University of Molise, located in Campobasso, a city of south Italy with oceanic climate according to Köppen classification. The results highlight significant deviations on the estimated energy consumption as well as on the energetic and environmental indexes of the refurbishment design. Instead, the impact on the economic index is quite limited. Highlights

ACS Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The impact of weather data sources on building energy retrofit design: case study in heating-dominated climate of Italian backcountry. Journal of Building Performance Simulation 2020, 13, 264 -284.

AMA Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi, Antonio Gigante, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The impact of weather data sources on building energy retrofit design: case study in heating-dominated climate of Italian backcountry. Journal of Building Performance Simulation. 2020; 13 (3):264-284.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Francesca De Masi; Antonio Gigante; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "The impact of weather data sources on building energy retrofit design: case study in heating-dominated climate of Italian backcountry." Journal of Building Performance Simulation 13, no. 3: 264-284.

Journal article
Published: 25 November 2019 in Energy and Buildings
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This paper proposes a novel multistep approach for comparing several architectural solutions with the aim to create additional volumes on existing buildings by means of the façade transformation. The nearly zero energy standard is the objective of the designing and the criteria for the comparison take into account the minimization of economic impacts and the maximization of comfort conditions for the occupants. An innovative SWOT matrix is proposed for evaluating, with multidisciplinary approach, the results of the refurbishment design. The internal strengths and weaknesses are referred to the building occupants, while external opportunities and threats are referred to the whole society. The proposed approach is applied to the B Building FEPA of the student dormitory in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in the frame of a research project financed by HORIZON 2020 funds. With reference to the case study, an increment of around 22% of living space is achieved with energy saving and polluting reduction of around 90%; at the same time the amenity of the outdoor environment, the seismic security, the global comfort are improved. The results of the case study allow to demonstrate how the volume add-ons technique can bring many benefits, not only on the energetic point of view, in the refurbishment of the existing building stock. The awareness of these advantages could encourage occupants, tenants and communities to participate actively in the designing process, and it could be accelerate the achievement of the nearly zero energy standard for the existing building stock. This is the future goal for the sustainable development of the building sector.

ACS Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Anastasia Fotopoulou; Dimitra Papadaki; Silvia Ruggiero; Giovanni Semprini; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Holistic approach for energy retrofit with volumetric add-ons toward nZEB target: Case study of a dormitory in Athens. Energy and Buildings 2019, 207, 109630 .

AMA Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Anastasia Fotopoulou, Dimitra Papadaki, Silvia Ruggiero, Giovanni Semprini, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Holistic approach for energy retrofit with volumetric add-ons toward nZEB target: Case study of a dormitory in Athens. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 207 ():109630.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Anastasia Fotopoulou; Dimitra Papadaki; Silvia Ruggiero; Giovanni Semprini; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2019. "Holistic approach for energy retrofit with volumetric add-ons toward nZEB target: Case study of a dormitory in Athens." Energy and Buildings 207, no. : 109630.

Conference paper
Published: 23 October 2019 in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering
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The proposed paper is focused on some of the main conceptions, design criteria and expected energy performance of a new nZEB built in Benevento, a middle-size city of South Italy with typical Mediterranean climate. It is the result of an Italian research project – SMARTCASE – promoted under the umbrella of the European Regional Development Fund. The paper discusses the results of the wintertime monitoring campaign. Measurements on building envelope are shown as well as monitoring of energy uses and indoor microclimatic conditions. The discussion about the hourly energy balance evidences the effectiveness of selected solutions to reach the zero objective also during the winter and to evaluate the incidence of PV-production.

ACS Style

F Ascione; M Borrelli; R F De Masi; F De Rossi; G P Vanoli. Analysis of monitoring data for a nZEB in Mediterranean climate. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 2019, 609, 072038 .

AMA Style

F Ascione, M Borrelli, R F De Masi, F De Rossi, G P Vanoli. Analysis of monitoring data for a nZEB in Mediterranean climate. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2019; 609 (7):072038.

Chicago/Turabian Style

F Ascione; M Borrelli; R F De Masi; F De Rossi; G P Vanoli. 2019. "Analysis of monitoring data for a nZEB in Mediterranean climate." IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 609, no. 7: 072038.

Journal article
Published: 25 September 2019 in Energies
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The present work concerns the energy retrofit of a public educational building at the University of Molise, located in Termoli, South Italy. The study provides a comparison of the results obtained by different dynamic simulations of passive strategies to improve thermal comfort and energy behavior of the building during the summer regime. Firstly, the building model was calibrated against historical consumption data. Then, a subsequent step involves the technical-economic analysis, by means of building performance simulations, of energy upgrading scenarios, specifically, cool roof and green roof technologies for the horizontal opaque envelope and thermal insulation, vented façade, and phase change materials’ applications for the vertical opaque envelope. Improving the indoor thermal comfort and reducing the thermal energy demand during summertime through innovative solutions will be the primary objective of the present study. The energy efficiency measures are compared from the energy, emissions, costs, and indoor comfort points of view. Phase Change Materials applied to the inner side of the external walls are analyzed in depth and, by varying their melting temperature, optimization of design is performed too. This innovative material, with a melting temperature of 23 °C and a freezing temperature of 21 °C, determines the reduction of summer energy consumption of 11.7% and the increase of summer indoor comfort of 215 h. Even if consolidated, other solutions, like the cool roof, green roof, thermal insulation, and vented façade induce improvements in terms of summer energy saving, and the percentage difference compared to the basic building is less than 2%. For this case study, a Mediterranean building, with construction characteristics typical of the 1990s, traditional passive technologies are not very efficient in improving the energy performance, so the investigation focused on the adoption of innovative solutions such as PCMs, for reducing summer energy demand and improving indoor thermal comfort.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Phase Change Materials for Reducing Cooling Energy Demand and Improving Indoor Comfort: A Step-by-Step Retrofit of a Mediterranean Educational Building. Energies 2019, 12, 3661 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Phase Change Materials for Reducing Cooling Energy Demand and Improving Indoor Comfort: A Step-by-Step Retrofit of a Mediterranean Educational Building. Energies. 2019; 12 (19):3661.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2019. "Phase Change Materials for Reducing Cooling Energy Demand and Improving Indoor Comfort: A Step-by-Step Retrofit of a Mediterranean Educational Building." Energies 12, no. 19: 3661.