Editorial to the Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Sustainability in Energy and Buildings (SEB 2016)

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Cooling Systems in Data Centers: State of Art and Emerging Technologies

The growing number, size, complexity and energy density of data centers due to increasing demand for storage, networking and computation bring a considerable energy challenge. Several measures to improve energy efficiency are being studied, not only to allow a supportable industry growth but also to reduce operational costs. Cooling energy consumption constitutes a large portion of the total consumption of data centers, which can account up to 40% in the case of inefficient cooling systems. In this paper a critical discussion on existing and emerging technologies for data center cooling systems was carried out. Fundamental aspects concerning advantages and drawbacks of each examined cooling system were discussed. Moreover a critical analysis on next future technology solutions for obtaining high energy efficiency data center is performed

Thermal characterization of green roofs through dynamic simulation

The aim of this study is to evaluate a simplified parameter to characterize green roofs summer dynamic thermal performance through a mathematical approach. The inside face surface conduction in a green roof component is calculated through the Fast all-season soil strength (FASST) model. A parametric analysis is carried out to evaluate which roof design options have the greatest effect on the green roof Thermal behavior during the summer period. The results show the relevance of the leaf area index of the vegetation layer and of thickness of the soil, which is the key factor regarding the growing media

Estimation models of heating energy consumption in schools for local authorities planning

Large building stocks should be well managed, in terms of ordinary activities and formulating strategic plans, to achieve energy savings through increased efficiency, It is becoming extremely important to have the capability to quickly and reliably estimate buildings' energy consumption, especially for public authorities and institutions that own and manage large building stocks. This paper analyses the heating energy consumption of eighty school buildings located in the north of Italy. Two estimation models are developed and compared to assess energy consumption: a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model and a Classification and Regression Tree (CART). The CART includes interpretable decision rules that enable non-expert users to quickly extract useful information to benefit their decision making. The output of MLR model is an equation that accounts for all of the major variables affecting heating energy consumption. Both models were compared in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Percentage error (MAPE). The analysis determined that the heating energy consumption of the considered school buildings was mostly influenced by the gross heated volume, heat transfer surfaces, boiler size, and thermal transmittance of windows

Mining typical load profiles in buildings to support energy management in the smart city context

Mining typical load profiles in buildings to drive energy management strategies is a fundamental task to be addressed in a smart city environment. In this work, a general framework on load profiles characterisation in buildings based on the recent scientific literature is proposed . The process relies on the combination of different pattern recognition and classification algorithms in order to provide a robust insight of the energy usage patterns at different level s and at different scales (from single building to stock of buildings). Several im plications related to energy profiling in buildings, including tariff design, demand side management and advanced energy diagnos is are discussed. Moreover, a robust methodology to mine typical energy patterns to support advanced energy diagnosis in buildin gs is introduced by analysing the monitored energy consumption of a cooling/heating mechanical room

Coupling VIPs and ABPs: Assessment of Overall Thermal Performance in Building Wall Insulation

Super Insulating Materials (SIMs) such as Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) and Aerogel Based Products (ABPs), are characterised by lower thermal conductivities if compared with traditional insulating materials. The objective of the present work is to suggest a new technical solution to reduce the thermal bridging effects in buildings SIMs assemblies. A typological façade where VIPs and ABPs are coupled was numerically analysed to assess the global average thermal transmittance. Moreover results were compared with common solutions based on VIPs coupled with traditional insulating materials (EPS, MDF), considering both thermal and economic aspects

The Effect of Temperature on Thermal Performance of Fumed Silica Based Vacuum Insulation Panels for Buildings

Vacuum Insulation Panels are characterized by very low thermal conductivity, which makes them alluring for building and civil sectors. However, considering the structure and composition of these materials, their application in buildings may be defined by a number of issues which need to be properly taken into account. The real performance of VIPs can be influenced by the boundary conditions (e.g. temperature) at which they work during their operation. In this paper experimental analyses aimed at characterising the relationship between the centre of panel thermal conductivity and average temperature were carried out. The experiments were performed on two VIP samples with different thickness. Moreover a comparison with non-evacuated panels and a traditional insulating material was performed

The Overall Architecture of a Decision Support System for Public Buildings

AbstractBuilding energy monitoring and real time control strategies can decrease energy consumption on one hand, and improve comfort on the other hand, by increasing the understanding of the control system. A decision support system for building energy management can be a proper tool for supporting the measurement and management of energy usage and costs of public buildings. The aim of the paper is to describe the architecture of the Decision Support System (DSS), that is being developed within the FP7-Smartcities Project OPTIMUS (OPTimising the energy Use in cities with smart decision support system). The architecture of the system is described considering both the energy related and the information technology aspects. An example of action modeling is also presented and the first results are discussed

Vacuum Insulation Panels: Analysis of the Thermal Performance of Both Single Panel and Multilayer Boards

The requirements for improvement in the energy efficiency of buildings, mandatory in many EU countries, entail a high level of thermal insulation of the building envelope. In recent years, super-insulation materials with very low thermal conductivity have been developed. These materials provide satisfactory thermal insulation, but allow the total thickness of the envelope components to be kept below a certain thickness. Nevertheless, in order to penetrate the building construction market, some barriers have to be overcome. One of the main issues is that testing procedures and useful data that are able to give a reliable picture of their performance when applied to real buildings have to be provided. Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) are one of the most promising high performing technologies. The overall, effective, performance of a panel under actual working conditions is influenced by thermal bridging, due to the edge of the panel envelope and to the type of joint. In this paper, a study on the critical issues related to the laboratory measurement of the equivalent thermal conductivity of VIPs and their performance degradation due to vacuum loss has been carried out utilizing guarded heat flux meter apparatus. A numerical analysis has also been developed to study thermal bridging effect when VIP panels are adopted to create multilayer boards for building applications