Thermal Inertia In Energy Efficient Building Envelopes

The design and construction of the appropriate building envelope is one of the most effective ways for improving a building’s thermal performance. Thermal Inertia in Energy Efficient Building Envelopes provides the optimal solutions, tools and methods for designing the energy efficient envelopes that will reduce energy consumption and achieve thermal comfort and low environmental impact. Thermal Inertia in Energy Efficient Building Envelopes provides experimental data, technical solutions and methods for quantifying energy consumption and comfort levels, also considering dynamic strategies such as thermal inertia and natural ventilation. Several type of envelopes and their optimal solutions are covered, including retrofit of existing envelopes, new solutions, passive systems such as ventilated facades and solar walls. The discussion also considers various climates (mild or extreme) and seasons, building typology, mode of use of the internal environment, heating profiles and cross-ventilation Experimental investigations on real case studies, to explore in detail the behaviour of different envelopes Laboratory tests on existing insulation to quantify the actual performances Analytical simulations in dynamic conditions to extend the boundary conditions to other climates and usage profiles and to consider alternative insulation strategies Evaluation of solutions sustainability through the quantification of environmental and economic impacts with LCA analysis; including global cost comparison between the different scenarios Integrated evaluations between various aspects such as comfort, energy saving, and sustainability

This book results from a Special Issue published in Energies, entitled “Building Thermal Envelope". Its intent is to identify emerging research areas within the field of building thermal envelope solutions and contribute to the increased use of more energy-efficient solutions in new and refurbished buildings. Its contents are organized in the following sections: Building envelope materials and systems envisaging indoor comfort and energy efficiency; Building thermal and energy modelling and simulation; Lab test procedures and methods of field measurement to assess the performance of materials and building solutions; Smart materials and renewable energy in building envelope; Adaptive and intelligent building envelope; and Integrated building envelope technologies for high performance buildings and cities.

Advanced Building Envelope Components: Comparative Experiments focuses on the latest research in innovative materials, systems and components, also providing a detailed technical explanation on what this breakthrough means for building exteriors and sustainability. Topics include a discussion of transparent envelope components, including intelligent kinetic skins, such as low-e coatings, high vs. low silver content in glass, solar control coatings, such as silver vs. niobium vs. tin, and more. In addition, opaque envelope components are also presented, including opaque dynamic facades, clay lining vs. plasterboard and nano clayed foams. Includes real case studies that explore, in detail, the behavior of different envelopes Presents laboratory tests on existing insulation (if any, through samples extracted on-site) to quantify actual performances Provides the tools and methods for comparing, selecting and testing materials and components for designing effective building envelopes Covers both transparent and opaque envelope components, as well as opaque dynamic facades

This book focuses on latent heat storage, which is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. Unlike the sensible heat storage method, the latent heat storage method provides much higher storage density with a smaller difference between storing and releasing temperatures. Thermal Energy Storage with Phase Change Materials is structured into four chapters that cover many aspects of thermal energy storage and their practical applications. Chapter 1 reviews selection, performance, and applications of phase change materials. Chapter 2 investigates mathematical analyses of phase change processes. Chapters 3 and 4 present passive and active applications for energy saving, peak load shifting, and price-based control heating using phase change materials. These chapters explore the hot topic of energy saving in an overarching way, and so they are relevant to all courses. This book is an ideal research reference for students at the postgraduate level. It also serves as a useful reference for electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineers and students throughout their work. FEATURES Explains the technical principles of thermal energy storage, including materials and applications in different classifications Provides fundamental calculations of heat transfer with phase change Discusses the benefits and limitations of different types of phase change materials (PCM) in both micro- and macroencapsulations Reviews the mechanisms and applications of available thermal energy storage systems Introduces innovative solutions in hot and cold storage applications

The principle of sustainability should be strictly connected with safety, since both aim to conserve resources: in the case of sustainability, the resources are typically thought of as environmental, while in the case of safety, the resources are basically human. In spite of this common ground, discussions on sustainability usually give insufficient attention to safety. In the last years the EU has made large investments to increase the energy efficiency of the existing building stock, paving the way for a low-carbon future; however, less effort has been made to enhance its seismic resilience. Therefore, the safety and, consequently, the sustainability of towns situated in earthquake-prone countries remain inadequate. In such countries, energy renovation actions should be combined with seismic retrofitting. However, a number of barriers considerably limit the real possibility of extensively undertaking combined retrofit actions, especially for multi-owner housing and high-rise buildings. These barriers are of different kinds: technical (e.g., unfeasibility and/or ineffectiveness of conventional retrofit solutions), financial (e.g., high renovation costs, insufficient incentives/subsidies), organizational (e.g., occupants’ disruption and relocation, renovation consensus by condominium ownerships), and cultural/social (insufficient information and skills, lack of adequate policy measures for promoting renovation actions). This book aims to overcome these barriers and to bridge the gap between sustainability and safety, so to conserve both human and environmental resources.

The book covers chapters ranging from introduction to recent technological challenges, case studies of energy-efficient buildings with policy and awareness issues, fundamentals and present status along with research updates and future aspects on topics focusing on energy-efficient construction, materials Provides comprehensive information on energy efficient buildings including policy and energy audit aspects with case studies Examines application of PCMs in passive heating and cooling in buildings; role of active TES and energy saving potential

This book is about the optimization of the characterization of the thermal properties of building envelopes, through experimental tests and the use of artificial intelligence. It analyses periodic and stationary thermal properties using measurement approaches based on the heat flow meter method and the thermometric method. These measurements are then analysed using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms. The book is structured in four parts, beginning with a discussion of the importance of thermal properties in the energy performance of buildings. Secondly, theoretical and experimental methods for characterizing thermal properties are analysed. Then, the methodology is developed, and the characteristics and properties of the algorithms used are explored. Finally, the results obtained with the algorithms are analysed and the most appropriate approaches are determined. This book is of interest to researchers, civil and industrial engineers, energy auditors and architects, by providing a resource which improves energy audit tasks in existing buildings.

The Building sector requires a conspicuous considerable amount of energy for services related to annual air-conditioning and the thermal comfort of indoor spaces. The design of highly efficient low-energy buildings is often a challenging task, especially rranean area, where the balanced requirement for heating and cooling energy does not usually permit a high level of envelope insulation in order to avoid summer overheating. This topical Special Issue of Energies is dedicated to “High Efficient Buildings in Mediterranean Area: Challenges and Perspectives” and collects studies related to the assessment and evaluation of systems and technologies for building energy management and control in the Mediterranean climate, with the aim of optimizing the building–plant system and reducing energy use. This collection of papers presents the latest research results related to the topic; these articles offer valuable insights into the energy simulation of highly efficient buildings, propose innovative envelope solutions, such as green roofs, Trombe walls, and PCM, and investigate the use of renewable sources such as photovoltaic systems. The topics also include the innovative use and control of Venetian blinds and fixed solar shades in order to reduce energy consumption and preserve visual comfort, as well as an interesting economic analysis based on the cost-optimal approach.in the Mediterranean area, where usually the balanced requirement for heating and cooling energy does not usually permit a high level of envelope insulation, in order to avoid summer overheating. This topical sSpecial iIssue of Energies is dedicated to the “High Efficient Buildings in Mediterranean Area: Challenges and Perspectives” and collects contributions with studies related to the assessment and evaluation of systems and technologies for building energy management and control in the Mediterranean climate, with the aimed at the of optimization ofing the building-–plant system and the reductiong of energy use. This collection of papers presents the latest research results related to the topic; these articles offering valuable insights on into the energy simulation of highly efficient buildings, proposeing innovative envelope solutions, such as green roofs, Trombe wWalls, and PCM, and investigateing the use of renewable sources such as photovoltaics systems. The topics also investigate include the innovative use and control of Vvenetian blinds and fixed solar shadeings in order to reduce energy consumption and preserve visual comfort, and finally proposing alsoas well as an interesting economic analysis based on the cost-optimal approach.The building sector requires a considerable amount of energy for services related to annual air-conditioning and the thermal comfort of indoor spaces. The design of highly efficient low-energy buildings is often a challenging task, especially in the Medite