Towards Sustainable Urban Development: Energy Modelling for Milan's Built Environment

This master's thesis presents a place-based approach that utilizes energy performance certificates as the statistical model for building energy modeling. The aim is to use energy modeling as a decision tool to assess the energy performance of residential buildings in Milan and provide input data references for available open databases in Italy. Using the open-source software QGIS, different energy-related variables were calculated, including heating and domestic hot water consumption, and potential solar production. The analysis of demand/supply profiles helps to increase self-consumption and self-sufficiency in the urban context. The study highlights the main parameters affecting building energy consumption, such as volume, S/V ratio, period of construction, system efficiency, and solar exposition, and evaluates the spatial distribution of energy use within urban environments. The outcomes contribute towards achieving smart cities and enhancing the energy efficiency of the existing building stock.