Abstract
1- Introduction
2- Energy efficiency approaches
3- Use of heat pumps and other HVAC systems
4- Integration of renewable energies
5- Conclusions
References
Abstract
The need to achieve energy efficiency standards in new and existing buildings has triggered both research and design practice aimed at reducing their carbon footprint and improving their indoor comfort and functionality conditions. In this view, a dedicated scientific effort has to be spent while dealing with historical architectures needing to preserve their key testimonial knowledge into the society. Therefore, tailored retrofit strategies have been investigated and implemented without compromising their architectural value, especially when new uses are foreseen in those buildings. This review classifies different examples of the use of energy efficiency approaches and the integration of renewable energies in historical buildings, including solar and geothermal energy, and the use of heat pumps and other high-efficiency heating ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Introduction
Buildings account for almost a third of final energy consumption globally and are an equally important source of CO2 emissions [1]. Currently, both space heating and cooling as well as hot water production are estimated to account for roughly half of global energy consumption in buildings. These end-uses represent significant opportunities to reduce energy consumption, improve energy security, and reduce CO2 emissions due to the fact that space and water-heating provision is dominated by fossil fuels while cooling demand is growing rapidly in countries with very carbon-intensive electricity systems. Building heating and cooling systems are used to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures through the generation and/or transfer of heat. There are four main technical approaches to reduce the heating or cooling load of a building: 1. Reducing the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors by adopting Adaptive Thermal Comfort principles - an indoor temperature that is closer to the outdoor temperature (as far as possible). 2. Improving the building envelope. 3. Increasing the efficiency of heating and cooling equipment. 4. Replacing the building with a new construction. Related to this third point, low/zero-carbon and energy-efficient heating and cooling technologies for buildings have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 2 Gt and save 710 Mtoe of energy by 2050. Most of these technologies – which include solar thermal, combined heat and power (CHP), heat pumps, and thermal energy storage – are commercially available today. The potential of these technologies presents, nevertheless, several barriers in order to increase the roll-out in the market [1], such as higher initial cost, market risks for new technologies, imperfect information, and uncertainty (technical, regulatory, policy, etc.). On the other hand, historical buildings (defined as those built before 1945), which are usually low-performance buildings by definition (as shown for the Netherlands by van Krugten et al. [2]), represent almost 30–40% of the whole building stock in European countries [3]. Historical buildings often contribute to townscape character. They create the urban spaces that are enjoyed by residents and attract tourist visitors. They may be protected by law from alteration not only limited to their visual appearance preservation, but also concerning materials and construction techniques to be integrated into original architectures. According to Fabbri and Pretelli [4], a heritage building is a historical building which, for their immense value, is subject to legal preservation. In Italy, for instance, heritage buildings built before 1919 are around 19% of the total, and buildings built between 1919 and 1945 are about 12% of the total [5]. In UK, it has been estimated that approximately 1% of the existing buildings can be considered heritage ones [6]. According to Fabbri [7], historical buildings can be classified into three categories as monuments and buildings of special architectural interest, buildings built before an established historical date (i.e., historical threshold), and buildings that show unique constructive and technological systems. In the EU27, the 14% of buildings were erected before the 1919 and the 26% has been built before the 1945.