Towards a low carbon future : users' lifestyle supporting building performances : occupants behavior impact on zero emission buildings in mediterranean and nordic climate
Adele Boggio
Towards a low carbon future : users' lifestyle supporting building performances : occupants behavior impact on zero emission buildings in mediterranean and nordic climate.
Rel. Stefano Paolo Corgnati, Marta Bottero, Cristina Becchio, Per Heiselberg. Politecnico di Torino, Corso di laurea magistrale in Architettura Costruzione Città, 2017
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Nowadays building sector has become an important target for energy and carbon emissions reduction, as it has a significant impact on the environment contributing to the 40% of the total energy consumption and the 36% of total C02 emissions.
The recast of the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) has introduced the concept of nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) as building with very high-energy performances able to cover the residual energy demand with renewable energy sources on site or nearby the building. According to EPBD recast, all new buildings have to be nearly zero energy by the end of 2020. New European targets, as previously introduced, shift the focus on C02 emissions reduction, setting reduction goals for 2050. The European strategy called "Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050" is an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-27 by at least 80% in 2050 vis-à-vis emissions in 1990 and in particular to reduce by the 90% emissions proceeding from the building sector. Thus, the concept of Zero Carbon Building, as a building with a low amount of carbon emissions, entered in the standards of some European countries but it has not been supported by the whole community.
With the aim of the integration of the two high efficiency building models, the concept of Zero Energy and Emission building (ZEEB) rise up, as a building where minimum energy performance is in line with national requirements and a great reduction of carbon emissions related to all final uses is expected.
Moreover, in order to impose limits on energy and emissions it is fundamental to precisely quantify final buildings energy consumption and as a consequence C02 emissions. These two are strictly related to variables that impact on final building's performances, such as the role of occupant behavior, that is the sum of possible interactions between users and the building in which they live. Improving building performances is not sufficient to manage energy consumption but also in the case of high efficiency buildings users' lifestyle continue to have an important impact on final performances.
To prove it two case study buildings are selected, one in Italy and the other in Denmark; different retrofit solutions are proposed applying ZEEB definition and the best one selected through cost optimal methodology. The impact of occupant behavior is assessed on the resulting high performing building and in the case of the Italian case study, an economic evaluation of the possible building's configurations including user lifestyle in it is carried out. Costs and benefits are selected, quantified and monetized and the Cost-Benefit Analysis applied in order to select the best alternative.
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