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Optimal Balance between Heating, Cooling and Environmental Impacts: A Method for Appropriate Assessment of Building Envelope’s U-Value

Author

Listed:
  • Safieddine Ounis

    (LACOMOFA Laboratory, Department of Architecture, Mohamed Khider University of Biskra, BP 145 RP, Biskra 07000, Algeria
    Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Niccolò Aste

    (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Federico M. Butera

    (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Claudio Del Pero

    (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Leonforte

    (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Rajendra S. Adhikari

    (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milano, Italy)

Abstract

In Europe, the recent application of regulations oriented to zero-energy buildings and climate neutrality in 2050 has led to a reduction in energy consumption for heating and cooling in the construction sector. The thermal insulation of the building envelope plays a key role in this process and the requirements about the maximum allowable thermal transmittance are defined by country-specific guidelines. Typically, high insulation values provide low energy consumption for heating; however, they may also entail a risk of overheating in summer period and thus negatively affect the overall performance of the building. In addition, the embodied energy and related emissions caused by the manufacturing and transportation processes of thermal insulation cannot be further neglected in the evaluation of the best optimal solution. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the influence in terms of embodied and operational energy of various walls’ thermal insulation thicknesses on residential buildings in Europe. To this end, the EnergyPlus engine was used for the energy simulation within the Ladybug and Honeybee tools, by parametrically conducting multiple iterations; 53 variations of external wall U-value, considering high- and low-thermal-mass scenarios, were simulated for 100 representative cities of the European context, using a typical multifamily building as a reference. The results demonstrate that massive walls generally perform better than lightweight structures and the best solution in terms of energy varies according to each climate. Accordingly, the wall’s thermal transmittance for the samples of Oslo, Bordeaux, Rome and Almeria representative of the Continental, oceanic temperate, Mediterranean, and hot, semi-arid climates were, respectively: 0.12, 0.26, 0.42, and 0.64 W/m 2 K. The optimal solutions are graphically reported on the map of Europe according to specific climatic features, providing a guidance for new constructions and building retrofit.

Suggested Citation

  • Safieddine Ounis & Niccolò Aste & Federico M. Butera & Claudio Del Pero & Fabrizio Leonforte & Rajendra S. Adhikari, 2022. "Optimal Balance between Heating, Cooling and Environmental Impacts: A Method for Appropriate Assessment of Building Envelope’s U-Value," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:10:p:3570-:d:814845
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sierra-Pérez, Jorge & Rodríguez-Soria, Beatriz & Boschmonart-Rives, Jesús & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2018. "Integrated life cycle assessment and thermodynamic simulation of a public building’s envelope renovation: Conventional vs. Passivhaus proposal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1510-1521.
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    5. Maria Anna Cusenza & Teresa Maria Gulotta & Marina Mistretta & Maurizio Cellura, 2021. "Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-21, June.
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