The present paper presents a method to characterizethe typical building from a group by applyingprincipal components analysis (PCA).The method has been developed on a sampleof secondary education school buildings inGreece. The purpose is to define the typicalbuilding in order to propose generalized improvementsfor energy efficiency of the buildingstock concerned. Therefore seven variables fromquestionnaires have been analyzed: heated surface,age of the building, insulation of the building,number of classrooms, number of students,schools operating hours and age of the heatingsystem.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and emissions frombuilding materials have been over the last decadesa major challenge for scientists, industryand consumers. In response to the need for improvedconsumer protection different kinds oflabelling systems for material emissions havebeen developed in many European countries andby industrial organisations. The main purpose isto protect consumers from exposure to chemicalpollutants and resulting adverse health effects(i.e., carcinogenic, teratogenic, irritant) or annoyanceby bad odours, which could be causedby chemical emissions from materials.
This paper introduces a new approach for theprediction of hourly energy consumption inbuildings. The proposed method uses nonlineartimeseries analysis techniques for the reconstructionof energy consumption timeseries andthe estimation of the dynamic invariants, and artificialneural networks as a nonlinear modelingtool.Among the several neural network modelingfactors that affect time-series prediction, themost important are the window-size and thesampling lags for the data.
The fast and uncontrolled emergence of a will topromote sustainable development in the field ofbuilding construction generates new requirementsfor urban development. Besides technicalsolutions, project managers or urban plannersmust take into consideration the overall impactof his project on the local and global environmentas well as social trends, economic development,health and safety for users.
The present paper presents the results of the energyand environmental evaluation of ten schoolbuildings in the Greater Athens Area. The researchincluded measurements of the indoor airquality, evaluation of the situation of the buildingenvelope, recording of energy and ventilationsystems and generally all the systems thatinfluence the energy output of the school buildings.Experimental investigations were performedin ten different schools and the concentrationlevels of CO2, CO and VOCs weremeasured.
This study is based on the analysis of approximately1000 questionnaires, which include informationabout the incomes, the oil and electricityconsumptions as well as characteristicslinked to the type, the size, the existing thermalinsulation materials and the indoor air temperaturesof the buildings.The data were normalised according to theoutdoor air temperature as well as according tothe surface area of the building.
Using renewable energy sources (RES) in buildingsector is already an issue of major importancedue to fuel overpricing, world populationgrowth and residential energy consumption increment.Besides, the observance of protocol ofKyoto and European Commissions directive2001/77/EC impose further application of RESin urban environment. Within this frameworkand as a part of a wider initiative to reduce energyconsumption in buildings, constructioncompanies are beginning to integrate photovoltaic(PV) systems into the roof or the facadesof new or renovated structures.
In 2001 two twin residential buildings wereerected in Milan, each hosting around 50 apartmentson 6 floors. They both have adopted ecofriendlyand energy efficiency solutions, butthere are also some differences among them.This paper presents the main findings of a comparisonbetween the energy performances of thetwo buildings during winter and summer seasons,showing that although the look is absolutelysimilar and the differences in the designare limited, they have an impact that cannot beneglected.
Building sector is accounting for a significantand increasing part of the worldwide energyconsumption and is responsible for importantgreenhouse gas emissions.
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