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

Michele Zinzi, Francesca Pagliaro, Stefano Agnoli, Fabio Bisegna and Domenico Iatauro
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Michele Zinzi: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Francesca Pagliaro: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Stefano Agnoli: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Fabio Bisegna: Department of Astronautical Electrical and Energy Engineering, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Domenico Iatauro: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a crucial issue in school buildings, because of the conditions that pupils and students are exposed to. From this assumption, potentialities of retrofit actions with Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) targets were analyzed in existing school buildings, focusing on the impact of such measures of IEQ. Numerical analyses in a transient regime for a typical school building were carried out to assess the impacts on the thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The study took into account several building configurations and three reference cities. The results showed severe overheating risks in retrofitted schools: the operative temperature increased by several degrees with respect to the existing configuration, leading to thermal discomfort for a relevant part of the observation period. Passive techniques, namely external solar protection devices and night ventilative cooling, were applied to assess their mitigation potential. Results showed that the combination of the two solutions restored the pre-retrofit performance. CO 2 levels were found to be too high for naturally ventilated buildings, regardless of the building configuration; acceptable levels might be reached only with long opening times of windows, which are unrealistic for real building operation.

Keywords: indoor environmental quality; Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings; school buildings; building energy performance; thermal comfort; Indoor Air Quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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