Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Food Retail Buildings: Introducing a Novel Assessment Framework

Simone Forastiere, Cristina Piselli, Andrea Silei, Fabio Sciurpi, Anna Laura Pisello, Franco Cotana and Carla Balocco ()
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Simone Forastiere: Department of Architecture (DIDA), University of Florence, Via della Mattonaia 8, 50121 Florence, Italy
Cristina Piselli: Department of Architecture (DIDA), University of Florence, Via della Mattonaia 8, 50121 Florence, Italy
Andrea Silei: Department of Architecture (DIDA), University of Florence, Via della Mattonaia 8, 50121 Florence, Italy
Fabio Sciurpi: Department of Architecture (DIDA), University of Florence, Via della Mattonaia 8, 50121 Florence, Italy
Anna Laura Pisello: Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Franco Cotana: Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Carla Balocco: Department of Architecture (DIDA), University of Florence, Via della Mattonaia 8, 50121 Florence, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-23

Abstract: One of the primary global objectives is to decrease building energy consumption to promote energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The large-scale food retail trade sector accounts for over 15% of total primary energy consumption in Europe, posing a significant challenge to the transition towards green energy. This study proposes a simple method for energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and cost-saving assessment and improvement in large-scale food retail trade buildings. It aims to analyze the energy and environmental performance of building–plant systems, establishing an interactive network to assess intervention potential for the energy transition. The investigation focuses on the proper selection and analysis of the benefits of retrofit solution implementation, emphasizing potential energy savings in current and future climate change scenarios. Dynamic simulation with the Building Energy Model (BEM) was used to evaluate the impacts of building–plant system retrofit solutions, such as high thermal insulation, photovoltaic (PV) panels, Light Emitting Diode (LED) installation, waste heat recovery, and improvement in refrigeration units. The results show a reduction in annual energy consumption for the PV panel installation by up to 29% and lighting systems with high-quality LED to 60%. Additionally, CO 2 emissions can be decreased by up to 41% by combining these two strategies.

Keywords: building energy efficiency; food retail trade building; environmental sustainability; cost analysis; building energy model; future climate (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: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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