Co-developed with the CREA Research Center and the University of Salento and Saint-Gobain Isover Italia SpA, this project aimed to combine compliance with Passive House energy efficiency standards with traditional building techniques, architectural styles and materials typical of the southern Italian regions. Various types of glasswool (Isover ) were used for cavity wall insulation, placed between a double wall made of tuff from local quarries. The walls have been finished using an ecological lime plaster produced by Saint-Gobain Weber. This combination of glasswool and lime plaster allows the walls to breathe. This project shows that it is possible for a building to be highly energy-efficient using fully recyclable, eco-friendly materials.The initiative has provided a fantastic opportunity for architects and local builders to acquire professional experience in Passive House construction.

This study demonstrates how it is possible to increase the performances of an air-cooled heat pump by the use of Horizontal Air-Ground Heat Exchanger (HAGHE); the analysis has been carried out varying the air flow rate and heat conductivity of the ground. For a warm climate, the air treatment using HAGHE involves an improvement of the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of the heat pump for the entire summertime. About the wintertime, the coefficient of performance (COP) results improved from November to February, but it is possible to install a by-pass to permit to the heat pump to work at the best conditions.

Horizontal Air Ground Heat Exchanger has been used not for the direct ventilation of the room, but for the treatment of the outside air flux of an Air-Cooled Heat Pump; consequently, the heat pump works with colder and warmer air than outside one in summer and winter, respectively. The results are exposed in terms of the Coefficient of Performance and Energy Efficiency Ratio of the Air-Cooled Heat Pump.

A tool has been developed to integrate electric vehicles into a general systems for the energy management and optimization of energy from renewable sources in the Campus of the University of Salento. The tool is designed to monitor the status of plug-in vehicles and recharging station and manage the recharging on the basis of the prediction of power from the photovoltaic roofs and usage of electricity in three buildings used by the Department of engineering. The tool will allow the surplus of electricity from photovoltaic to be used for the recharge of the plug-in vehicles. In the present investigation, the benefits in terms of CO2 and costs of the scheduled recharge with respect to free recharge are evaluated on the basis of the preliminary data acquired in the first stage of the experimental campaign.

This paper consists of a technical and economic feasibility study of a CHCP system for the cogeneration of heat, cooling and power to service a residential cluster consists of 30 terraced houses. The study provides a computational tool that realistically simulates the functioning and the performances of the first engine (a micro-turbine powered by natural gas) in different operating conditions, its economic behaviour - in terms of payback period - and its energy and environmental prospects of the tri-generation plant. The simulations have been carried out using the computer code TRNSYS16, which allowed the valuation of energy demand through the dynamic simulation of heat and energy transfer in buildings by their climatic zone and stratigraphy, and software CYCLE-TEMPO, which allowed the check of first engine’s performances in the nominal conditions provided by manufacturer and the forecast of the system’s performances in off-design operation. In particular, the influence of the environmental boundary conditions (such as temperature and relative humidity’s outside air) has been analyzed, allowing the valuation of the electrical and thermal efficiency’s variation and, consequently, the performances of the entire tri-generation system in terms of primary energy saving. Finally, a methodology for comprehensive evaluation of the tri-generation system is introduced, which includes both technical, energy and economic aspects.

The European Directives promote the energy consumption assessment in residential and industrial sectors in order to identify specific measures for getting energy savings. This paper presents the results of the energy use analysis, carried out for a wine manufacturing firm located in Southern Italy. The energy consumptions of the main wine production processes are investigated, showing that the cooling is the most energy-intensive user. Potential actions as thermal insulation of storage tanks and integration of solar cooling system are proposed and analyzed in terms of energy saving to improve energy efficiency of the refrigeration process in the winery.

tThe European policy framework is focused on reducing energy consumption in the building sector. Therecast of Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) Directive establishes that minimum energy perfor-mance requirements have to be set to achieve cost-optimal levels.A methodology is developed to assess energy and cost effectiveness in new buildings located inthe Mediterranean area. Several energy efficiency technical variants are applied to a multi residentialreference building selected as a representative model of the national building stock. Primary energyconsumption and global costs are evaluated in a number of configurations to derive the cost-optimalsolution.The paper shows how economical high efficient buildings can be obtained at a design stage for a warmclimate. The selected configuration decreases primary energy consumption by 90% and CO2emissions by88% with respect to the baseline building.Results appear useful for comparison with other climates and building types. The paper also pointsout that the methodology is suitable to guide and support the choice of cost effective energy efficiencymeasures in compliance with EU requirements.

The importance of historical buildings preservation is constantly increasing due to damage concerns to cultural property. In these buildings, conservation should be a priority in the evaluation of indoor conditions. If adequate, a natural microclimate, to which artworks have been adapted over centuries, should be maintained to avoid sudden microclimatic changes and take into account the main features of the site. A three dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. has been developed to investigate the adequacy of natural ventilation in a historical building located in the South of Italy. The model was validated with experimental data to analyze the microclimatic conditions obtained inside the building by five ventilation scenarios and twenty computational models. The aim of the study was to find a solution able to provide a proper microclimate for the conservation of the building. The influence of wind direction was considered in opposite seasonal conditions, and the microclimatic variations caused by the walling over of two windows with bricks, were verified. The scenario providing the most stability in time and uniformity in space microclimate was checked by the simulations considering the compatibility with the safety range of the materials. Simulation outputs were then used to model physical quantities linked to moisture dynamics and salt crystallization (i.e. evaporation rates, height of rise, water stored, and water flow). The model determined a great variability of the thermo-hygrometric parameters among the tested ventilation solutions and allowed to establish how to improve the indoor microclimate in the building.

The main goal of the EPBD (Energy Performance Buildings Directive) is the improvement of the energy performance of the European buildings. The internal comfort is critically dependent on the envelope that plays a key role in the thermal balance of the entire building. In particular, the windows are one of the most critical elements in terms of solar gains, heat losses and thermal bridges; therefore, the design of high efficiency frames is requested, both in cold and warm climate, but with different peculiarity. The UNI EN ISO 10077-2 provides a methodology to evaluate the frame thermal behaviour and it proposes the criteria to validate the numerical model. This paper presents a two-dimensional numerical method for the thermal behaviour evaluation of the frame sections using GAMBIT 2.2 and ANSYS FLUENT 14.5 CFD code. The results have been validated in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 10077-2. The standard ISO replaces the air gas with a fictitious material “air solid” into the cavities. Besides the simulation carried out with ideal gas entails higher internal surface temperature than the air solid case. Therefore, the standard ISO imposes preventive computational conditions. The proposed numerical method can be implemented for several frame profiles with different features in terms of geometry and materials, representing a valid support in the design of new high thermal performance frames.

This work deals with the efficiency and the energy behavior of Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) used for heating and cooling of buildings. In particular horizontal type heat exchangers have been investigated for different configurations, in order to evaluate the characteristics of these systems in the most common layouts and in different working conditions. The main results pointed out the heat fluxes transferred to and from the ground and the efficiency of the system. The calculations were made with the CFD code Fluent and the simulations covered one year of system operation, both in summer and winter for typical climate conditions of the South of Italy. The most important parameter for the heat transfer performance of the system resulted the thermal conductivity of the ground around the heat exchanger and the optimal ground type was that with the highest thermal conductivity (3 W/m K in the cases analyzed in this work). The choice of the velocity of the heat transfer fluid inside the tubes was another key factor. The depth of installation of the horizontal ground heat exchangers did not play an important role on the system performance. The helical heat exchanger arrangement resulted as the best performing one.

In this work, the effects due to the addition of nanoparticles in polyurethane foams on thermo-physical and mechanical properties have been evaluated. Two types of nanoparticles were used, acetic and oleic-modified titania nanocrystals TiO2. The nanoparticles were first dispersed in a polyol component via the use of sonication; then, the doped polyol was mixed with isocyanate. The different characterization techniques describe the state of the dispersion of fillers in foam. The effects of these additions in foam were evaluated according to UNI EN 826-UNI EN 12087- UNI EN 13165, in terms of thermo-physical and mechanical properties, i.e., diffusivity, conductivity, compressive strength and water uptake. The microstructure of the foam was analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The foam obtained with nanoadditives presented improved mechanical characteristics compared to neat foam, presumably due to the different shape of the nanoparticles. The addition of nanoparticles favoured the formation of nucleation centres; this effect was likely due to the size, shape and distribution of particles and due to their surface treatment.

A high penetration of wind energy into the electricity market requires a parallel development of efficient wind power forecasting models. Different hybrid forecasting methods were applied to wind power prediction, using historical data and numerical weather predictions (NWP). A comparative study was carried out for the prediction of the power production of a wind farm located in complex terrain. The performances of Least-Squares Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM) with Wavelet Decomposition (WD) were evaluated at different time horizons and compared to hybrid Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based methods. It is acknowledged that hybrid methods based on LS-SVM with WD mostly outperform other methods. A decomposition of the commonly known root mean square error was beneficial for a better understanding of the origin of the differences between prediction and measurement and to compare the accuracy of the different models. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out in order to underline the impact that each input had in the network training process for ANN. In the case of ANN with the WD technique, the sensitivity analysis was repeated on each component obtained by the decomposition.

The forecasting techniques are affected by the renewable sources randomness. Improvements of the prediction models with more accurate results and lower error are necessary for future development of the microgrids projects and of the economic dispatch sector. The LS-SVM (Least Square Support Vector Machine), a relatively unexplored neural network known as GMDH (Group Method of Data Handling) and a novel hybrid algorithm GLSSVM (Group Least Square Support Vector Machine), based on the combination of the first two models, were implemented to forecast the PV (Photovoltaic) output power at several time horizons up to 24 h. In order to improve the forecasting accuracy, each model was combined with three strategies for multi-step ahead forecast (Direct, Recursive and DirRec). A detail analysis of the normalized mean error is carried out to compare the different forecasting methods, using the historical PV output power data of a 960 kWP grid connected PV system in the south of Italy. The outcomes demonstrate the GLSSVM method with the DirRec strategy can give a normalized error of 2.92% under different weather conditions with evident improvements respect to the traditional ANN (Artificial Neural Network)

In order to satisfy the requirements of Directive 2010/31/EU for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB), innovative solutions were investigated for building HVAC systems. Horizontal air-ground heat exchangers (HAGHE) offer a significant contribution in reducing energy consumption for ventilation, using the thermal energy stored underground, in order to pre-heat or pre-cool the ventilation air, in winter and summer, respectively. This is particularly interesting in applications for industrial, commercial and education buildings where keeping the indoor air quality under control is extremely important. Experimental measurements show that, throughout the year, the outside air temperature fluctuations are mitigated at sufficient ground depth (about 3 m) because of the high thermal inertia of the soil, the ground temperature is relatively constant and instead higher than that of the outside air in winter and lower in summer. The study aims to numerically investigate the behavior of HAGHE by varying the air flow rate and soil conductivity in unsteady conditions by using annual weather data of South-East Italy. The analysis shows that, in warm climates, the HAGHE brings a real advantage for only a few hours daily in winter, while it shows significant benefits in the summer for the cooling of ventilation air up to several temperature degrees, already by a short pipe.

Many deterioration processes are linked to unsuitable microclimatic condition in cultural buildings.One of the most diffused processes is soluble salts crystallization that can be accelerated in masonry structures within specific microclimatic values for different chemical compounds. In this paper, micro-climate and efflorescence diffusion were monitored over a one-year period in the Crypt of the Cathedralof Lecce (South Italy). This allowed to relate the microclimate with the efflorescence variation overtime. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was then developed to detail thethermo-hygrometric parameters and airflow patterns responsible for salts crystallization and artworksdeterioration. Two main conditions were reproduced; one to simulate the current microclimate, whichsimulations showed to be inadequate for conservation, and the other to search for a more appropriatesolution. In both cases, summer and winter conditions were simulated and compared to find a microcli-mate able to ensure more suitable thermo-hygrometric intervals required by the constituting artworksmaterials. The results helped to suggest actions to improve maintenance of the Crypt.

The improvement of energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy in buildings are key elements of current European policies. According to the recast of the Directive EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings), Member States have to target nZEBs (nearly zero energy buildings) and minimum energy performance requirements within a cost-optimal framework by 2020. This study reports the comparative methodology reported in the EPBD, aimed at the establishment of cost-optimality in office buildings located in a warm climate. A number of energy efficiency measures have been selected and applied to the envelope and the systems of a virtual reference office building. Technical features and energy performance calculations have been assessed for the obtained configurations. Primary energy consumption and global costs have been derived to identify the cost-optimal configuration from a financial and macroeconomic analysis. The paper shows the suitability of the methodology to support the design of cost-effective energy efficient solutions in new office buildings. Results show technical variants selection able to a decrease primary energy consumption by 39% and CO2 emissions by 41% at the lowest cost. They also illustrate how to design cost-optimal nZEBs for a warm climate in compliance with EU (European Union) policies.

The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) recast proposes, a comparative methodology to calculate cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings. This paper presents a method able to select the best retrofit action for lighting system, selectively analysing the daylight conditions and applying the cost-optimal methodology for different scenarios proposed for two existing educational buildings located in Italy. With the aim to improve both energy efficient and visual comfort conditions, the retrofit scenarios include lighting solutions with different combinations. They consider the replacement of lamps with more efficient lighting sources and the application of lighting control.

The recast of EU (European Union) Directive on EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings) requires nZEBs (nearly zero energy buildings) as the building target from 2018 onwards and the establishment of costoptimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements in buildings. This paper presents the results of the application of a methodology to identify cost-optimal levels in new residential buildings located in a warm climate. Mono-residential buildings have been considered as virtual reference buildings in this study. Different energy efficiency measures have been selected for the envelope and the systems. A combination of technical variants has been then applied to the reference case in order to obtain several configurations to be compared in terms of primary energy consumption and global costs. The cost-optimal solution is identified assessing technical features and energy performance. Standard and high efficiency buildings are analysed to show how the selected configuration allows a decrease of primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions at the lowest cost. Results are useful for comparison with other climates and building types. They also show the feasibility of the methodology to comply with EU requirements and to support the choice of economically efficient nZEBs solutions at the design stage.

The data reported in this article refers to input and output information related to the research articles entitled Assessment of cost-optimality and technical solutions in high performance multi-residential buildings in the Mediterranean area by Zacà et al. (Assessment of cost-optimality and technical solutions in high performance multi-residential buildings in the Mediterranean area, in press.) and related to the research article Cost-optimal analysis and technical comparison between standard and high efficient mono residential buildings in a warm climate by Baglivo et al. (Energy, 2015, 10.1016/j.energy.2015.02.062, in press).

"Efficient Solutions and Cost-Optimal Analysis for Existing School Buildings" (Paolo Maria Congedo, Delia D'Agostino, Cristina Baglivo, Giuliano Tornese, Ilaria Zacà) [1] is the paper that refers to this article. It reports the data related to the establishment of several variants of energy efficient retrofit measures selected for two existing school buildings located in the Mediterranean area. In compliance with the cost-optimal analysis described in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and its guidelines (EU, Directive, EU 244,) [2], [3], these data are useful for the integration of renewable energy sources and high performance technical systems for school renovation. The data of cost-efficient high performance solutions are provided in tables that are explained within the following sections. The data focus on the describe school refurbishment sector to which European policies and investments are directed. A methodological approach already used in previous studies about new buildings is followed (Baglivo Cristina, Congedo Paolo Maria, D׳Agostino Delia, Zacà Ilaria, 2015; IlariaZacà, Delia D'Agostino, Paolo Maria Congedo, Cristina Baglivo; Baglivo Cristina, Congedo Paolo Maria, D'Agostino Delia, Zacà Ilaria, 2015; Ilaria Zacà, Delia D'Agostino, Paolo Maria Congedo, Cristina Baglivo, 2015; Paolo Maria Congedo, Cristina Baglivo, IlariaZacà, Delia D'Agostino,2015) [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]. The files give the cost-optimal solutions for a kindergarten (REF1) and a nursery (REF2) school located in Sanarica and Squinzano (province of Lecce Southern Italy). The two reference buildings differ for construction period, materials and systems. The eleven tables provided contain data about the localization of the buildings, geometrical features and thermal properties of the envelope, as well as the energy efficiency measures related to walls, windows, heating, cooling, dhw and renewables. Output values of energy consumption, gas emission and costs are given for a financial and a macro-economic analysis. This data article provides 288 and 96 combinations for REF1 and REF2, respectively. The output values are obtained using the software ProCasaClima 2015v.2.0.

The data given in the following paper are related to input and output information of the paper entitled Design method of high performance precast external walls for warm climate by multi-objective optimization analysis by Baglivo et al. [1]. Previous studies demonstrate that the superficial mass and the internal areal heat capacity are necessary to reach the best performances for the envelope of the Zero Energy Buildings located in a warm climate [2-4]. The results show that it is possible to achieve high performance precast walls also with light and ultra-thin solutions. A multi-criteria optimization has been performed in terms of steady and dynamic thermal behavior, eco sustainability score and costs. The modeFRONTIER optimization tool, with the use of computational procedures developed in Matlab, has been used to assess the thermal dynamics of building components. A large set of the best configurations of precast external walls for warm climate with their physical and thermal properties have been reported in the data article.

Data are related to the multi-objective optimization process applied to the building materials to obtain high energy-efficient precast walls for cold climate. The methodology has been explained on the paper entitled "High performance precast external walls for cold climate by a multi criteria methodology" (Baglivo and Congedo, 2016) [1]. The modeFRONTIER rel.4.3 optimization tool has been used to evaluate the dynamic behaviour of the building components in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 13786:2008 and to obtain a multitude of high efficiency configurations. The results are divided into three categories thick, thin and ultra-thin precast walls, in accordance with their thicknesses. The input data are the building materials with their thermal properties, sustainability characteristics and the supply and installation costs. The output values of the simulations are adapted to the cold climate and based on thermal properties, costs and sustainability score. Several combinations of external precast walls have been shown as optimal for cold climate.

The weather data have a relevant impact on the photovoltaic (PV) power forecast, furthermore the PV power prediction methods need the historical data as input. The data presented in this article concern measured values of ambient temperature, module temperature, solar radiation in a Mediterranean climate. Hourly samples of the PV output power of 960kWP system located in Southern Italy were supplied for more 500 days. The data sets, given in , were used in DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2015.04.078, M.G. De Giorgi, P.M. Congedo, M. Malvoni, D. Laforgia (2015) [1] to compare Artificial Neural Networks and Least Square Support Vector Machines. It was found that LS-SVM with Wavelet Decomposition (WD) outperforms ANN method. In DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.04.020, M.G. De Giorgi, P.M. Congedo, M. Malvoni (2016) [2] the same data were used for comparing different strategies for multi-step ahead forecast based on the hybrid Group Method of Data Handling networks and Least Square Support Vector Machine. The predicted PV power values by three models were reported in .

Data are related to the numerical simulation performed in the study entitled "CFD modeling to evaluate the thermal performances of window frames in accordance with the ISO 10077" (Malvoni et al., 2016) [1]. The paper focuses on the results from a two-dimensional numerical analysis for ten frame sections suggested by the ISO 10077-2 and performed using GAMBIT 2.2 and ANSYS FLUENT 14.5 CFD code. The dataset specifically includes information about the CFD setup and boundary conditions considered as the input values of the simulations. The trend of the isotherms points out the different impacts on the thermal behaviour of all sections with air solid material or ideal gas into the cavities.

The data concern the photovoltaic (PV) power, forecasted by a hybrid model that considers weather variations and applies a technique to reduce the input data size, as presented in the paper entitled "Photovoltaic forecast based on hybrid pca-lssvm using dimensionality reducted data" (M. Malvoni, M.G. De Giorgi, P.M. Congedo, 2015) [1]. The quadratic Renyi entropy criteria together with the principal component analysis (PCA) are applied to the Least Squares Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM) to predict the PV power in the day-ahead time frame. The data here shared represent the proposed approach results. Hourly PV power predictions for 1,3,6,12, 24 ahead hours and for different data reduction sizes are provided in Supplementary material.

Taking into account the global environmental problems, there is the urgent need to reduce energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector. Environmental awareness can be achieved through the extensive application of precast systems in buildings construction. A multi-criteria analysis has been used to obtain energy-efficient precast walls for Zero Energy Building in warm climate focusing on eco-friendly building materials. The modeFRONTIER optimization tool, with the use of computational procedures developed in Matlab, has been used to assess the thermal dynamics of building components. The optimization has been carried out in terms of steady thermal transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, small thickness, eco sustainability score, light-weight and costs. The best sequences of layers show repetitive features: high surface mass for the first layer (internal side), followed by eco-friendly insulating materials for the middle layer and common insulating materials for the outer layer. The results illustrate that it is possible to obtain high performance precast multi-layered walls also with light and thin solutions; in particular, the superficial mass and the internal areal heat capacity have an important role to obtain the best performance in the warm climate.

Accounting for nearly 40% of final energy consumption, buildings are central to European energy policy. The Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings establishes a benchmarking system known as cost-optimality to set minimum energy performance requirements in new and existing buildings. This paper applies the cost-optimal methodology to an existing structure located in the Mediterranean area (Southern Italy). The building is composed of two units that have been considered for different uses: hotel and multi-residential. Several energy efficiency and renewable measures have been implemented both individually and as part of packages of measures. The cost-optimal solution has been identified as able to optimize energy consumption and costs from financial and macroeconomic perspectives. The first reference building (hotel use) shows a maximum reduction of primary energy and CO2 emission of about 42%, falling within the CasaClima energy class D, while the second reference building (residential use) achieves a value of 88% for primary energy and 85% for CO2 emissions, falling into class B. Thermal dispersions through the envelope can be limited using a suitable combination of insulating materials while a variety of technical variants are selected, such as VRF (variant refrigerant flow) systems, heat pumps with fan coils associated with controlled mechanical ventilation, solar thermal and photovoltaic. This paper illustrates the development of energy retrofit projects, in order to reach a balance between efficiency measures and costs for a building having two different uses, providing guidance to similar case studies related to a warm climate.

Gli edifici ad alta efficienza energetica costruiti in Europa adottano prevalentemente la tecnologia delle pareti multistrato leggere (pareti stratificate a secco con la tecnologia S/R, pareti prefabbricate con il sistema SAAD, pareti in legno, etc) con un pacchetto costituito, quasi totalmente, da materiali strutturali a bassa densità ed isolanti termici ad elevato spessore (anche 20-30 cm), a basso peso specifico e, quindi, a bassa massa di accumulo, al fine di ottenere valori di trasmittanza termica stazionaria molto bassi (inferiori comunque a 0,15 W/mqK). E’, comunque, da considerare che tali tecniche di super-isolamento, trovano indicazione soprattutto in zone climatiche continentali del nord e centro Europa, dove i consumi per il riscaldamento invernale prevalgono nettamente su quelli per il raffrescamento estivo. Inoltre, mentre nel periodo invernale il requisito principale è la protezione del trasferimento del calore dagli ambienti interni all’esterno, durante il periodo estivo, uno dei requisiti è quello dello smaltimento, di notte, del sovraccarico termico accumulato durante il giorno: purtroppo, questa tipologia di involucro “iperisolata”, essendo caratterizzata da una bassa massa termica e, quindi, da una limitata inerzia termica, non permette di “scaricare” adeguatamente nelle ore notturne, il calore accumulato durante il giorno innescando, così, un processo di surriscaldamento. In zone climatiche calde e temperate come, ad esempio, l’area del bacino del mediterraneo, tale fenomeno di sovraccarico termico risulta molto spesso irreversibile se non vi è, nella costruzione, un perfetto controllo delle fonti di irraggiamento solare (effetto serra) ed un’adeguata gestione degli apporti gratuiti di calore all’interno dell’edificio (persone, elettrodomestici ed apparecchiature elettriche, illuminazione artificiale, etc).

Gli edifici ad alta efficienza energetica costruiti in Europa adottano prevalentemente la tecnologia delle pareti multistrato leggere con materiali strutturali a bassa densità ed isolanti termici ad elevato spessore (anche 20-30 cm), a basso peso specifico e, quindi, a bassa massa di accumulo, per ottenere valori di trasmittanza termica stazionaria molto bassi (inferiori a 0,15 W/m2K). Tali tecniche di super-isolamento trovano indicazione soprattutto in zone climatiche continentali del Nord e Centro Europa, dove i consumi per il riscaldamento invernale prevalgono su quelli per il raffrescamento estivo. Inoltre, mentre nel periodo invernale il requisito principale è la protezione del trasferimento del calore dagli ambienti interni all’esterno, durante il periodo estivo è lo smaltimento, di notte, del sovraccarico termico accumulato durante il giorno: purtroppo, questa tipologia di involucro “iperisolata”, caratterizzata da una bassa massa termica e, quindi, da una limitata inerzia termica, non permette di “scaricare” adeguatamente nelle ore notturne il calore accumulato innescando un processo di surriscaldamento.

The recast of the energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD) describes a comparative methodological framework to promote energy efficiency and establish minimum energy performance requirements in buildings at the lowest costs. The aim of the cost-optimal methodology is to foster the achievement of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs), the new target for all new buildings by 2020, characterized by a high performance with a low energy requirement almost covered by renewable sources. The paper presents the results of the application of the cost-optimal methodology in two existing buildings located in the Mediterranean area. These buildings are a kindergarten and a nursery school that differ in construction period, materials and systems. Several combinations of measures have been applied to derive cost-effective efficient solutions for retrofitting. The cost-optimal level has been identified for each building and the best performing solutions have been selected considering both a financial and a macroeconomic analysis. The results illustrate the suitability of the methodology to assess cost-optimality and energy efficiency in school building refurbishment. The research shows the variants providing the most cost-effective balance between costs and energy saving. The cost-optimal solution reduces primary energy consumption by 85% and gas emissions by 82%–83% in each reference building.

This paper proposes an integrated rehabilitation project of an abandoned farmhouse in a rural area in Southern Italy. The building underwent a functional recovery to become a tourist accommodation. The use of natural materials can reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints considering environmental sustainability aspects. A proper selection of interventions targeted for the specific warm climate has led to benefits for heating, cooling and lighting in the interior spaces. The project also includes the integration of hydraulic facilities and landscaping, such as planting hedges, green barriers and native trees.

Finding the most appropriate configuration of building components at the design stage can reduce energy consumption in new buildings. This study aims to optimize the design of the envelope of a new residential building located in a warm climate (southern Italy). The thermal behaviour of the building has been analysed to evaluate the indoor operative air temperature for several configurations. The building prototype has been modelled using the dynamic simulation software TRNSYS using a sequential search technique. Starting from the simplest building configuration, the main evaluated components are: walls, slab-on-ground floor, roof, shading, windows and internal heat loads. For each of these components, different design options have been modelled and compared in terms of indoor thermal comfort. Comfort parameters have been also taken into account to evaluate users' satisfaction with the optimized configurations. The study of the operative air temperature demonstrates that the absence of insulating layers in the ground floor ensures a lower internal temperature in summer. The paper shows how each component impacts the thermal behaviour of the whole building. It highlights the usefulness of the envelope design optimization that is characterized by high values of heat storage capacity, enabling internal temperature fluctuations to be kept under control, especially during summer.

The advancement of photovoltaic (PV) energy into electricity market requires efficient photovoltaic power prediction systems. Furthermore the analysis of PV power forecasting errors is essential for optimal unit commitment and economic dispatch of power systems with significant PV power penetrations. This study is focused on the forecasting of the power output of a photovoltaic system located in Apulia - South East of Italy at different forecasting horizons, using historical output power data and performed by hybrid statistical models based on Least Square Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM) with Wavelet Decomposition (WD). Five forecasting horizons, from 1 h up to 24 h, were considered. A detailed error analysis, by mean error and statistical distributions was carried out to compare the performance with the traditional Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and LS-SVM without the WD. The decomposition of the RMSE into three contributions (bias, standard deviation bias and dispersion) and the estimation of the skewness and kurtosis statistical metrics provide a better understanding of the differences between prediction and measurement values. The hybrid method based on LS-SVM and WD out-performs other methods in the majority of cases. It is also evaluated the impact of the accuracy of the forecasting method on the imbalance penalties. The most accurate forecasts permit to reduce such penalties and thus maximize revenue. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stochastic nature of weather conditions influences the photovoltaic power forecasts. The present work investigates the accuracy performance of data-driven methods for PV power ahead prediction when different data preprocessing techniques are applied to input datasets. The Wavelet Decomposition and the Principal Component Analysis were proposed to decompose meteorological data used as inputs for the forecasts. A time series forecasting method as the GLSSVM (Group Least Square Support Vector Machine) that combines the Least Square Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM) and Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) was applied to the measured weather data and implemented for day-ahead PV generation forecast.

Nowadays, the design of Zero Energy Buildings requires a technology of light multi-layered walls and the envelope represents a key element to reach high level of thermal behaviour and indoor comfort. This paper illustrates a method based on a multi-criteria analysis for the design of energy-efficient precast walls in the cold climate. It encourages the use of eco-friendly building materials and local materials, in accordance with the directions of the Building Sustainable Protocols, like LEED and Itaca. The designed methodology involves the use of MatLab rel.7.0 for the computational procedure and the modeFRONTIER rel.4.3 optimization tool to evaluate the dynamic behaviour of the building components and to obtain a multitude of high efficiency configurations. The optimization has been performed in terms of steady thermal transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, thickness, supply and installation costs and ecofriendly score. Furthermore, hygro-thermal and acoustic check have been evaluated for three walls, selected between the most efficient. The walls present no interstitial condensation. The results highlights that it is possible to rich high efficiency precast walls also by thin and ultra-thin thicknesses.

This data article contains eleven tables supporting the research article entitled: Cost-Optimal Design For Nearly Zero Energy Office Buildings Located In Warm Climates [1]. The data explain the procedure of minimum energy performance requirements presented by the European Directive (EPBD) [2] to establish several variants of energy efficiency measures with the integration of renewable energy sources in order to reach nZEBs (nearly zero energy buildings) by 2020. This files include the application of comparative methodological framework and give the cost-optimal solutions for non-residential building located in Southern Italy. The data describe office sector in which direct the current European policies and investments [3], [4]. In particular, the localization of the building, geometrical features, thermal properties of the envelope and technical systems for HVAC are reported in the first sections. Energy efficiency measures related to orientation, walls, windows, heating, cooling, dhw and RES are given in the second part of the group; this data article provides 256 combinations for a financial and macroeconomic analysis.

Improving energy efficiency in buildings and promoting renewables are key objectives of European energy policies. Several technological measures are being developed to enhance the energy performance of buildings. Among these, geothermal systems present a huge potential to reduce energy consumption for mechanical ventilation and cooling, but their behavior depending on varying parameters, boundary and climatic conditions is not fully established. In this paper a horizontal air-ground heat exchanger (HAGHE) system is studied by the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Summer and winter conditions representative of the Mediterranean climate are analyzed to evaluate operation and thermal performance differences. A particular focus is given to humidity variations as this parameter has a major impact on indoor air quality and comfort. Results show the benefits that HAGHE systems can provide in reducing energy consumption in all seasons, in summer when free-cooling can be implemented avoiding post air treatment using heat pumps.

La termografia applicata al risanamento di edifici storici consente di identificare, con una metodologia non distruttiva, i possibili difetti presenti nelle trame murarie ed opere d’arte, consentendo ai restauratori di intervenire sulle stesse, in modo puntuale, nelle attività di consolidamento e di recupero. L'indagine termografica sulla trama muraria di un edificio consente, in molti casi, di risalire alla tecnica edilizia utilizzata e, in virtù dalla diversa inerzia termica dei materiali utilizzati, spesso consente di individuare discontinuità nel materiale o nella struttura o la presenza di vani nascosti o vecchie tamponature. In presenza di affreschi, l'indagine contribuisce ad accertare lo stato di conservazione degli stessi, identificando eventuali difetti strutturali quali, ad esempio, le fessurazioni delle volte, la presenza di umidità di risalita o infiltrazioni. Inoltre, indagini di laboratorio più dettagliate, basate sulle minime differenze di emissività dei materiali e dei pigmenti nei successivi interventi di restauro, talvolta consentono di individuare le superfici originali degli affreschi o dipinti dalle superfici oggetto di interventi di restauro. Il presente lavoro descrive l'indagine sullo stato di degrado della Chiesa dell’Incoronata in Nardò (Le), condotta con l'ausilio della tecnica termografica. La chiesa è datata 1599, si ritiene sia stata realizzata dal più famoso architetto del periodo barocco neritino, Giuseppe Tarantino. La chiesa ha una pianta a croce latina, ad una unica navata con presbiterio e transetto. Su entrambi i lati sono posizionate tre cappelle con altari lapidei lavorati. Le murature perimetrali sono formate da conci di tufo, materiale da costruzione molto diffuso a Nardò e nei paesi limitrofi, ed hanno uno spessore notevole, in media di 90 cm. È probabile che esse abbiano una struttura interna a sacco.

The performance assessment of photovoltaic (PV) systems is a complex process. Several meteorological data sources are available to evaluate the PV system generation. Different computing models can be applied to determinate the solar irradiance on the plane of the array (POA). The cooling effect of the PV module due to the wind speed should not be neglected. The present study may support several users to perform more accurate PV energy predictions, providing important suggestions to develop future PV system projects with more high reliability. Perez and Hay-Davies models for the computing of the irradiance on tilted surfaces are combined with three meteorological datasets, characterized by different monitoring period and meteo station location, to estimate the POA irradiance, the module temperature and PV energy output for a PV system located in the Mediterranean climate area. Prediction results are performed by the PVsyst tool and compared with the actual data. Simulations are carried out taking into account the wind effects on the PV module performance. Results demonstrate that the geographic features of the location, in which the weather station is located, have higher impact on the estimations of the PV system performance than the distance between the PV system and the meteo station. Perez and Hay-Davies models provide predictions of the PV energy and the module temperature with a difference up to 3% and 1% respectively. Yearly average wind speed in the range 2–4 m/s fosters a cooling effect up to 3% higher than one due to the wind magnitude less of 2 m/s, increasing the PV energy up to 1%

In this investigation, differently shaped and surface functionalized TiO2 anatase nanoparticles and human serum albumin (HSA) were selected to study proteinnanoparticles interaction both in a solution and on flat surfaces, thereby mimicking a medical device. Anatase nanocrystals were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analysis and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The proteinnanoparticles’ interactions and their eventual reversibility were studied by pH dependent ζ- potential measurements in different media: ultra-pure water, a phosphate buffer simulating physiological conditions and in a culture medium supplemented with foetal bovine serum. The protein corona masking effect was evidenced and the interaction HSA-nanocrystals resulted irreversible. The interaction HSA-silicon supported TiO2 nanocrystals films was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and resulted driven by the substrate hydrophilicity degree plus was different for the diverse range of nanocrystals tested. Surface roughness measurements showed that on some of the nanocrystals, HSA were arranged in a more globular manner. A lower protein affinity was found for nanocrystals that had a smaller primary particle size, which may correspond to their higher biocompatibility. This nano-bio interface research aimed to study the HSA protein-TiO2 anatase nanocrystals under conditions similar to those for in vitro and in vivo toxicity analyses.

This paper investigates the performance of a 960 kWP photovoltaic (PV) system, located in southern Italy. Monitoring data over a 43 months period are used to evaluate the monthly average of energy yields, losses and efficiency. The performance ratio and the capacity factor were 84.4% and 15.6%, respectively. The yearly average module efficiency was 15.3% and the system efficiency was 14.9%, whereas the capture and system losses were 0.6 h/day and 0.1 h/day respectively. The degradation rate of the PV system, after continuous outdoor exposure, has been estimated at about 1.48%/year by applying the Classical Seasonal Decomposition (CSD) method. A comparison in terms of degradation rate is made with other PV plants installed in different climates to address the need of standard methods to determine this crucial parameter. The actual performance of the studied PV system is compared with the expected outcomes by using two widely used PV simulation tools, SAM and PVsyst. A detailed difference analysis is carried out to evaluate the accuracy of the SAM and PVsyst models. Results show that the yearly average energy injected into the grid was under-estimated by 3.0% by SAM and by 3.3% by PVsyst, but overall PVsyst outperforms the SAM tool. Results provide reliable data on the plant and demonstrate its good performance compared to other plants located in the same climate. The results can be used to improve the prediction of the performance of future PV of systems in the Mediterranean climate, and also provide a useful dataset for comparative studies

It is known that unsuitable microclimatic conditions can raise the risk of damage in ancient monuments where even small fluctuations can activate deterioration processes, such as soluble salts crystallization. Therefore the importance to monitor the environmental conditions in cultural buildings is widely recognized. Furthermore, in the last decades, many modeling tools have been developed in order to better control the indoors in a preventive way. A microclimatic monitoring was performed over a one year period in the Crypt of the Duomo of Lecce (South Italy) where efflorescence is one of the main decay evidence. The microclimatic data were then used to develop a 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model to investigate the indoor thermo-hygrometric parameters and determine the most appropriate microclimatic asset. A number of possible microclimatic scenarios, given by ventilation through the windows, were considered. The simulations allowed to establish the most suitable scenario to preserve the building limiting salt crystallization.

Given the recent worldwide environmental issues, there is a need to reduce the energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions of the building sector, keeping in mind the whole life cycle assessment of construction materials. Determining the sustainability of the products is complex, and the presence of one or more “eco” features does not necessarily make it “eco” in its entirety. The ITACA Protocol for environmental sustainability promotes the use of recycled, renewable and locally sourced materials. A multi-criteria analysis has been carried out in order to identify high energy efficiency external walls for ZEBs in the Mediterranean climate, privileging eco-friendly building materials. The modeFRONTIER optimization tool, by the use of calculation procedures developed in Matlab, was used to evaluate the dynamic performance of building components. The optimization was performed in terms of steady thermal transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, thickness and ITACA score. A method for the design of new low-cost residential buildings will be defined; in particular, the final aim is to determine not a single optimal solution, but a set of possible external wall configurations among which the designer can choose the proper solution for his application, according to the Pareto front of the multi-criteria problem. The results underline that, in a warm climate, the best sequences of layers are with high surface mass for the first layer (internal side), followed by common insulating materials for the middle layer and eco-friendly insulating materials for the outer layer.

Abstract {ZEBs} in Europe adopt a technology of light multi-layered walls by using structural materials with low density, thermal isolation, wide thickness, low specific weight, low mass accumulation, to achieve very low steady thermal transmittance. These techniques work toward bringing down winter heating costs. In the Mediterranean area, the thermal overload is irreversible when radiation is not controlled and the free supply of heat indoors is mismanaged. The characteristics of multi-layered walls do not yield typical passive heating system benefits because there are not large surfaces with thermal accumulation mass that are capable of storing heat when necessary, and discharge it once the effect of solar radiation is exhausted. A multi-objective analysis is key to obtaining several types of high energetic efficiency external walls for {ZEBs} in the Mediterranean climate, through the combination of various materials. The analysis is carried out in terms of steady thermal transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, thickness. The results show that the superficial mass of the external wall has important to obtain the best performance in the warm climate. It is possible to reach high performance in the summertime also by lighter and thinner walls.

The recent worldwide environmental issues impose to reduce the energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions of the building sector, keeping in mind the whole life cycle of construction materials. The Itaca protocol (Institute for Innovation and Transparency of Contracts and Environmental Sustainability) promotes the use of recycled, renewable and locally sourced materials; in particular, the definition of product’s sustainability is complex, and the presence of one or more “eco” features does not necessarily make it “eco” in its entirety. A multi-objective analysis has been carried out in order to identify high energy efficiency external walls for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) in the warm climate, privileging eco-friendly building materials. The definition of the external walls for Mediterranean climate with an optimal multilayer package through the integration of a multi-criteria optimization analysis was carried out in Modefrontier rel.4.3 environment with calculation procedures to evaluate the dynamic performance of building components developed in MatLab rel.7.0 environment. The optimization has been performed in terms of static transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, thickness and Itaca score. The topic of this paper is to define a method for the design of high efficiency external walls of new low-cost residential buildings among which the designer can choose the proper solution for his application, according to the Pareto front of the multi-objective problem.

Several technical combinations have been evaluated in order to design high energy performance buildings for the warm climate. The analysis has been developed in several steps, avoiding the use of HVAC systems. The methodological approach of this study is based on a sequential search technique and it is shown on the paper entitled “Envelope Design Optimization by Thermal Modeling of a Building in a Warm Climate” [1]. The Operative Air Temperature trends (TOP), for each combination, have been plotted through a dynamic simulation performed using the software TRNSYS 17 (a transient system simulation program, University of Wisconsin, Solar Energy Laboratory, USA, 2010). Starting from the simplest building configuration consisting of 9 rooms (equal-sized modules of 5 X 5 m2), the different building components are sequentially evaluated until the envelope design is optimized. The aim of this study is to perform a step-by-step simulation, simplifying as much as possible the model without making additional variables that can modify their performances. Walls, slab-on-ground floor, roof, shading and windows are among the simulated building components. The results are shown for each combination and evaluated for Brindisi, a city in southern Italy having 1083 degrees day, belonging to the national climatic zone C. The data show the trends of the TOP for each measure applied in the case study for a total of 17 combinations divided into eight steps.

In this work, we propose to extend an efficient strategy fur robust optimization when a large number of uncertainties is considered, in order to include multi-criteria decision making tools. This strategy is based on ANOVA analysis for reducing the stochastic dimension and a massive use of metamodels for predicting the sensitivity indexes in the design variables plan. This approach is applied to the optimization under uncertainty of horizontal ground heat exchangers, used in Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) for heating and cooling of buildings. System efficiency is maximized taking into account several uncertain parameters, such as the heat conductivity of the ground around the tubes, the velocity inside the tubes and the depth of installation.

The study is focused on the monitoring of the performances of a photovoltaic system, influenced of climatic characteristics of a particular geographical area, in which the PV system is installed. This paper presents the results obtained by monitoring, from March to October 2012, a 960 kWp photovoltaic system installed on the parking lots in the campus of the University of Salento, Italy and divided in two subfields with different tilt angle (3–15°) and different nominal powers (353.3 kWp and 606.6 kWp). The values of energy and power generated, final yield, reference yield, photovoltaic system efficiency, performance ratio and cell temperature losses are analyzed and linked to the climatic characteristics of the site, such as insolation (for the two distinct subfield), ambient temperature and wind speed. This study is part of the European Project “Buildings Energy Advanced Management System, BEAMS”, and its aim is to develop an advanced, integrated management system for buildings and special infrastructures of public use. This work offers a tool to estimate the performances of plants to be installed in sites with climatic characteristics similar to South-eastern Italy, and it is also useful as comparison to investigate the productivity of plants placed in different areas.

An important issue for the growth and management of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems is the possibility to forecast the power output over different horizons. In this work, statistical methods based on multiregression analysis and the Elmann artificial neural network (ANN) have been developed in order to predict power production of a 960 kWP gridconnected PV plant installed in Italy. Different combinations of the time series of produced PV power and measured meteorological variables were used as inputs of the ANN. Several statistical error measures are evaluated to estimate the accuracy of the forecasting methods. A decomposition of the standard deviation error has been carried out to identify the amplitude and phase error. The skewness and kurtosis parameters allow a detailed analysis of the distribution error.

The power forecasting plays a significant role in the electrical systems. Furthermore the high-dimensional data reduction without losing essential information represents an important advantage in the forecasting models. Low computational costs and short execution time together with high predicted performance are the main goals to be reached in the development of a prediction method. In this paper a hybrid method based on an active selection of the support vectors, using the quadratic Renyi entropy criteria in combination with the principal component analysis (PCA), is shown to dimensionally reduce the training data in the forecasting models. The reduced data have been used to implement the Least Squares Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM) in order to predict the photovoltaic (PV) power in the day-ahead time horizon. The model has been validated using historical data of a PV system in the Mediterranean climate. Additionally the weather variations have been taken into account to evaluate the outcome of the sunny and cloudy condition in the PV forecasting models. The proposed technique gives fulfill results. A training data size same as 30% original dimension allows to improve the forecasting accuracy and reduces the computational time of 70% respect to an implementation without dimensionality reduction data

An efficient microwave supported synthesis, with a reaction time of only one and a half minute, to prepare boron-modified titania nanocrystals TiO2:(B), was developed. The nanocrystals were obtained by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) together with benzyl alcohol and boric acid, and the approach did not need surfactants use and a final calcination step. The produced TiO2:(B) nanocrystals were characterized in detail by low magnification Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Micro Raman Spectroscopy. One of the obtained samples was then tested as additive in various amounts in a typical aluminosilicate refractory composition. The effects of these additions in bricks were evaluated, according to UNI EN 196/2005, in terms of thermo-physical and mechanical properties: diffusivity, bulk density, apparent density, open and apparent porosity and cold crushing strength. Bricks microstructure was analysed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS). The bricks obtained with nanoadditives presented improved mechanical characteristics with respect to the typical aluminosilicates, presumably because of a better compaction during the raw materials mixing stage.

In the present work, seven different types of nanocrystals were studied as additives in the formulation of aluminosilicate bricks. The considered nanocrystals consisted of anatase titanium dioxide (two differently shaped types), boron modified anatase, calcium carbonate (in calcite phase), aluminium hydroxide and silicon carbide (of two diverse sizes), which were prepared using different methods. Syntheses aim to give a good control over a particle's size and shape. Anatase titania nanocrystals, together with the nano-aluminium hydroxide ones, were synthesized via microwave-assisted procedures, with the use of different additives and without the final calcination steps. The silicon carbide nanoparticles were prepared via laser pyrolysis. The nano-calcium carbonate was prepared via a spray drying technique. All of the nanocrystals were tested as fillers (in 0.5, 1 and 2 wt. % amounts) in a commercial aluminosilicate refractory (55 % Al2O3, 42 % SiO2). They were used to prepare bricks that were thermally treated at 1300 degrees C for 24 hours, according to the international norms. The differently synthesized nanocrystals were added for the preparation of the bricks, with the aim to improve their heat-insulating and/or mechanical properties. The nanocrystals-modified refractories showed variations in properties, with respect to the untreated aluminosilicate reference in heat-insulating performances (thermal diffusivities were measured by the "hot disk" technique). In general, they also showed improvements in mechanical compression resistance for all of the samples at 2 wt. %. The best heat insulation was obtained with the addition of nano-aluminium hydroxide at 2 wt. %, while the highest mechanical compression breaking resistance was found with nano-CaCO3 at 2 wt. %. These outcomes were investigated with complementary techniques, like mercury porosimetry for porosity, and Archimedes methods to measure physical properties like the bulk and apparent densities, apparent porosities and water absorption. The results show that the nano-aluminium hydroxide modified bricks were the most porous, which could explain the best heat-insulating performances. There is a less straightforward explanation for the mechanical resistance results, as they may have relations with the characteristics of the pores. Furthermore, the nanoparticles may have possible reactions with the matrix during the heat treatments.

The recent worldwide environmental issues impose to decrease the energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions from the construction sector. To improve productivity and to decrease the negative effects on the environmental and social activities, particular attention is placed on precast systems. A multi-objective analysis has been carried out in order to identify high energy efficiency external walls for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) in warm climate, encouraging eco-friendly building materials. The definition of the external walls for Mediterranean climate has been carried out through the integration of a multi-criteria optimization. ModeFRONTIER rel.4.3 environment has been used with calculation procedures to evaluate the dynamic performance of building components developed in MatLab rel.7.0 environment. The optimization has been carried out in terms of steady thermal transmittance, periodic thermal transmittance, decrement factor, time shift, areal heat capacity, thermal admittance, surface mass, small thickness, eco sustainability score, light-weight and costs. The results shows the possibility to reach high energy performance with light and thin solutions, considering the superficial mass and the internal areal heat capacity. The best solutions present repetitive features: high surface mass for the first layer (internal side), eco-friendly insulating materials for the middle layers and common insulating materials for the outer layer. The aim is to show a method to design high efficiency precast external walls of new low-cost residential buildings among which the designers can choose the proper solution for his application, according to the Pareto front of the multi-objective problem.

Statistical methods based on Multiregression Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have been developed in order to predict power production of a 960 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) plant in the campus of the University of Salento, Italy. The neural network has been used only as a statistic model based on time series of PV power and meteorological variables, as module temperature, ambient temperature and irradiance on module’s plain. In particular, a sensitivity analysis has been carried out in order to find those weather parameters with the best impact on the forecasting.

Daylight access and indoor thermal comfort are key issues for high design level of sustainable buildings. In fact, daylight provides energy savings and visual comfort condition that can foster higher productivity and performance. This paper proposes a case study of sizing of daylight devices for zenith light. It enables the decision-making process of the designer to reach high levels of daylight factor. The proposed method is shown with an example of application. For the case study, a room in south of Italy, 24 different solar tunnels configurations and 12 cases with different number of skylights have been evaluated.

Performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems degrades due to the technology and the operating conditions. The degradation of is one of the key indicators for reliability assessment of a PV system. This paper presents a degradation study of the grid connected PV system located in the campus of the University of Salento. A comparative analysis of actual and theoretical output power is carried out over a monitoring period of five years. PVsyst software is chosen to simulate the output power using actual meteorological data. The hourly expected power generation index is introduced to investigate on degradation and reliability.

Crypts, mainly originating from the early Christian catacombs with the function for burial and worship, were very common in Europe during the Romanesque and Gothic periods. A lot of them suffer processes of degradation with different types of decay. Sometimes moulds, fungi, algae and bacteria are present on the shafts of the columns, sometimes salt efflorescence is spread along the masonry and on the base of the columns. Anyway both the chemical and biological alterations as well as the mechanical deterioration are strongly correlated with the changes in relative humidity and temperature, that play a key role in the activation of the damage. An environmental control, often cited as a desirable means of reducing deterioration, when incorrectly applied could exacerbate the damage. So, it is important that the environmental conditions for limiting the damage are selected on the basis of studies that accurately reflect the real situation. Here we focus on the study of some ancient Italian crypts with the aim to investigate the influence of the environment on the degradation processes, assessing possible connections between those findings and microclimatic behaviour. We detailed the change of the damage distribution both spatially and over time, making use of non-destructive methods. They consist of sampling and chemical/biologic analyses, condition assessment by environmental monitoring, image processing of photographic documentations and in situ observations. Furthermore building location, historical background, stone typology and features, natural-artificial lighting and ventilation, are taken into account. Once this had been addressed, a plausible explanation for the dynamic deterioration is given, some strategies are suggested and compared with the literature. They are both structural such as consolidation procedures, after removing contamination sources, and environmental, such as the control of indoor flow, as predicted by fluid dynamics simulations. Other possibility is to use Light Emitting Diode systems to control biodeterioration, eliminating chemicals means, such as bleach or steam, to remove growth. Keywords: Degradation; Environmental control; Thermodynamic behaviour; Fluid dynamics

This study investigates the effects of commercial nanoparticles on thermal and mechanical performance of rigid polyurethane foams. Two different types of nanoparticles are considered as fillers, spherical titania and rod-shaped halloysite clay nanotubes. The aim of this study was to produce rigid polyurethane foams modified with titania nanocrystals and nanohalloysite in order to obtain polyurethanes with improved properties. The laboratory scale-up will be suitable for the production in many branches of industry, such as construction and automotive production. In particular, these foams, added with commercial nanoparticles, characterized by better thermal and mechanical properties, are mainly used in construction for thermal insulation of buildings. The fillers were dispersed in the components, bringing rates up to 10%. In these investigations, the improvement of the thermal properties occurs by adding nanoparticles in the range 4–8% of titania and halloysite. The mechanical properties instead have been observed an improvement starting from 6% of nanoparticles addition. All data are in agreement with scanning electron microscope observations that shown a decrease in the average cell size and an increase in the cell density by adding nanoparticles in foams.

The effect of ventilation strategies on the microclimate of the Crypt of Lecce Cathedral (South Italy) was modelled using computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) tools. In the ancient church deterioration mainly consists of efflorescence whose diffusion appeared to be linked to unsuitable indoor conditions. The model was validated using experimental data collected over a one year microclimatic campaign and allowed to investigate a number of possible ventilation scenarios in the Crypt. The outputs of the CFD simulations helped to establish the ventilation scenario ensuring the microclimate with the lowest gradients and the most appropriate airflows in the building. In the analysis of the results a particular attention was dedicated to the artworks location in order to avoid their decay. The research allowed to determine how to improve the indoor conditions in the Crypt controlling the ventilation to preserve the monument.