Accepted Manuscript

Title: Analysis of the energy performance strategies of school

buildings site in the Mediterranean climate: A case study the
schools of Matera city

Authors: Gianluca Rospi, Nicola Cardinale, Francesca Intini,

Elisabetta Negro

PII: S0378-7788(16)31714-5
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.07.018
Reference: ENB 7758

To appear in: ENB

Received date: 28-11-2016

Revised date: 1-6-2017
Accepted date: 8-7-2017

Please cite this article as: Gianluca Rospi, Nicola Cardinale, Francesca Intini, Elisabetta
Negro, Analysis of the energy performance strategies of school buildings site in
the Mediterranean climate: A case study the schools of Matera city, Energy and
Buildingshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.07.018

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication.
As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript.
The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof
before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process
errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that
apply to the journal pertain.
Analysis of the energy performance strategies of school buildings site in
the Mediterranean climate: A case study the schools of Matera city
GIANLUCA ROSPI1*, NICOLA CARDINALE1, FRANCESCA INTINI1, ELISABETTA NEGRO1
1
DICEM, Università degli Studi della Basilicata - ITALY

gianluca.rospi@unibas.it

Graphical abstract

Highlights
 This study analyses the energy performance of eight schools located southern Italy
 We measured the thermal parameters and the gas consumptions
 The energy performance was validated by the measurements in situ and analysis in dynamic regime
 We implemented different energy perfomance strategies for enevelope and system
 The energy saved and environmental benefits were analyses

Abstract
Energy consumption of the public building stock represents an important cost of the balance of a state.
Moreover, public buildings, in particular schools, should be buildings with elevated comfort levels because
student and teachers spend much time in these rooms. The wellness and productive capacity of students and
teachers are primarily affected by the comfort inside and air quality of school rooms.
Regarding energy use, school buildings waste much energy because most buildings were constructed before the
1991 and energy saving measures were only implemented in a few schools.
This paper analyses the energy performance of eight different schools located in Matera city, southern Italy.
The aim of this research is to analyse energy requirement utilizing dynamic analyses with a time step of one
hour (using Energy-Plus method). Next, the values of the dynamic analyses were compared to the effective
energy consumption. Using the results of this comparison, we validated the numerical model, and then, we
analysed different energy auditing actions for these buildings. We included the energy auditing works in three
categories: energy restoration of the envelope, of the plant and of both. For each of these categories, we
calculated the energy savings. Ultimately, we analysed the environmental benefits of the three different
categories in terms of CO 2 reduction. This research confirmed that the dynamic method is the best method to
achieve a good energy analysis of these complex buildings.
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under grant agreement No 649956.

Key-Words: School buildings, Energy performance buildings, dynamic method, energy auditing,
Mediterranean climate, comfort indoor.
1 Introduction

The energy saving and efficiency actions in the building sector are a key theme for achieving the environmental
targets of the national and EU levels . In the next few years, many public buildings will have to undergo
significant retrofits. An important public building stock is constituted of school buildings.
Different studies in the literature demonstrate that these buildings have poor indoor air quality and consume a
large amount of thermal energy; this is confirmed by the fact that in the last twenty years, no energy saving
measures were applied in school buildings during the processes of restoration.
Moreover, it was demonstrated that the indoor comfort and indoor air quality in schools are important for
ensuring the health and productivity of students and teachers.
Over the past few decades, numerous international studies have been performed to address the topic of energy
consumption and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in school buildings.
A field survey was conducted to collect, elaborate and analyse data concerning the actual energy consumption
of space heating in school buildings of the Province di Torino. The study constructed an energy index that was
defined as the ratio of the energy supplied by the heating system to the gross heated volume [1]. In [2], the
authors performed functional benchmarking of different schools considering the different operation conditions
of school buildings. The authors analysed the results through an intensive literature survey on energy
consumption in schools. The literature was analysed to determine if a worldwide comparison among the
published data could be established. In [3], the authors present an energy analysis of school buildings of the
province of Perugia in central Italy. The study aimed to calculate the main thermal and electric energy
consumption indices to evaluate the status of energy consumption and possible interventions to save energy in
the school sector. In this paper, two applications of energy auditing in school buildings are presented. In [4], the
authors studied a number of contemporary Hellenic school buildings. This study was conducted with a holistic
approach consisting of three steps: first, an IEQ investigation, in situ, to reveal related problems and their
potential sources; second, an energy audit to collect information on the energy related characteristics of the
building; and third, an energy performance assessment. They also investigated the air indoor quality in school
rooms. In [5], the energy quality of various schools in Rome was analysed, and different intervention strategies
to reduce energy consumption were defined. The authors analysed the envelope, thermal plant and energy
consumption, they performed energy retrofit interventions on the envelope and on the plant, and they calculated
achievable benefits from the interventions in terms of energy and money saving through a simple payback time
analysis (PBT), which is useful to identify priorities for action.
In [6], the authors presented the project Educa-RUE. This project focuses on speeding up the implementation of
European Directive on Energy Performance in Buildings, EPBD (2002/91/EC) in Member States at the local
government level and to ensure its operability within the various national legislations of reference. The project
developed a model process, known as the “Educa-RUE method”, to assess possible policies of intervention on
educational buildings by promoting the ability of local players to guide and orient initiatives designed to
encourage energy savings by means of specific measures and integrated tools.
In [7], the energy consumption patterns of eight Portuguese case-study schools were analysed using a
methodological approach that integrated quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and in [8], the energy
performance of seven schools sited in Germany was studied.
In [9], the authors presented an energy audit campaign on 49 school building situated in Lombardy in North
Italy. They analysed actual energy consumption for heating, the occupant behaviour and the buildings technical
characteristics. This study showed that, for some school buildings, it would be less expensive and more
convenient to construct a new building instead of apply energy saving actions.
In [10], a study of the indoor comfort of seven Italian schools was conducted. The authors measured the main
thermo-physical parameters (temperature, humidity, illuminance, CO2 concentration, etc.), and they asked
students to describe their thermo-hygrometric comfort. In [11], the authors proposed a new value of the
expectancy factor of the PMV index for the Mediterranean climate. This value was obtained by conducting a
combined subjective and objective investigation on approximately 200 Italian classrooms and on more than
4000 students, both in winter and summer. All of the investigated school buildings were non-air conditioned
and only ventilated by operable windows.
In [12], the author investigated the energetic and economic feasibility of a solar-assisted heating and cooling
system (SHC) for use in different types of school buildings and Italian climates. The SHC system under
investigation is based on the coupling of evacuated solar collectors with a single-stage LiBr–H2O absorption
chiller; auxiliary energy for both heating and cooling is supplied by an electricity-driven reversible heat pump.
In the past, we studied the energy performances of the vernacular architectures of South Italy; this work was
published in [13] [14].
In the previously paper four school buildings were analysed in stationary method using Italian energy low [15]
This paper analyses the energy performance of eight different school buildings situated in the city of Matera in
southern Italy. Matera has a typical Mediterranean climate, with temperate winters and hot summers, as well as
a high humidity level.
The aim of this research was to perform an energy audit. We conducted different monitoring campaigns in situ
to evaluate the thermal conductance of the envelope; then, we evaluated the energy performance by using
dynamic simulations (using the Energy Plus method). We estimated the gap between measured and simulated
consumption. Finally, we analysed the different energy improvements, both for the envelope and the plant.
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under grant agreement No 649956.

2 Techniques and technologies of the school buildings

2.1 Description of the project

In this study, we described the energy diagnosis and different actions for improving the energy savings of eight
different high school buildings situated in the city of Matera, southern Italy. The school buildings were built
between 1540 and 1992, and these buildings were constructed with different techniques and technologies. Eight
schools were analysed: Gymnasium Lyceum "L.G." "E. Duni", Scientific Lyceum "L.S." “D. Alighieri”,
Scientific Technical Lyceum "L.S.C." “Pentasuglia”, Technical Institutes "I.T.G." “A. Olivetti”, Technical
Institutes "I.T.I.S." "G.B. Pentasuglia", Technical Institutes "I.T.C." "A. Loperfido", Professional
Istitutes"I.P.S.S." “I. Morra”, and Music Lyceum "L.M." “E. Duni”.
Table 1 shows the principal data (year of construction, volume, total area, floors, etc.) of the school buildings
analysed.

Building
Gross volume Total area N. classrooms
School name Year N. floors height
m3 m2 m N
L.G. “ E.Duni” 1966 6 24,556 5,761 23.00 37
L. S. “D. Alighieri” 1971 4 38,496 7,830 12.00 31
I.T.C. " Loperfido" 1961 5 20,846 5,814 17.70 34
I.T.I.S. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 1987 2 53,282 16,861 10.00 39
L.S.T. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 1992 2 15,118 3,484 8.00 12
I.T.G. “A. Olivetti” 1981 3 29,911 7,178 7.00 28
I.P.S.S. “I. Morra” 1972 4 14,093 3,329 14.00 98
L.M. " E. Duni " 1540 2 5,550 1,500 13.00 20
Table 1 - Principal data of the buildings analysed

Because seven of the eight schools were constructed before law 10/91, they have envelopes without air space
and thermal insulation. Instead, only L.S.T. “G. B. Pentasuglia” was constructed with a wall made of a double
layer of clay interposed by an unventilated air space and plastered on both sides of the masonry with lime
plaster and cement.
This study was funded in part by the Province of Matera through a special convention and is part of a larger
study on the diagnostic efficiency of the public school heritage of the Province of Matera.

3 Methodology
We adopted an integrated approach based on energy analyses in the dynamic regime using the Energy-Plus
method [16], monitoring the thermal conductance in situ in accordance with ISO 9869-2014 [17] and
monitoring of the energy consumption of heating for four consecutive years (from 2009 to 2012).
The research can be divided into three phases. In the first phase, we measured the thermal conductance of the
envelope, combustion efficiency of the heat generator and energy consumptions of all of the schools. The
measurement of the conductance was performed in accordance with ISO 9869-2014, according to a
methodology that has been used by other similar works and published in other papers [18].
We measured the combustion efficiency of heat generators according to the method described by UNI 10389
[19].
In this phase, we also performed a thermographic survey to identify thermal bridges and irregularities of the
envelope.
In the second phase, we constructed a numerical model in the Energy-Plus platform by inserting the measured
in situ values from the first phase. In this phase, we set and validated the numerical model. The numerical
model was validated by comparing the deviation the energy consumption simulated with the energy
consumption measured. The validation results were good when the percentage of error of the deviation was less
than 10 percent. The methodology validation for massive buildings by Energy Plus was presented in [14] and
the methodology validation for light enelope by Energy Plus was presented in [20].
In the last phase, some energy performance strategies were proposed, and we calculated the energy savings,
CO2 savings and investment payback period of each intervention.

4. Case Studies presentation

In the province of Matera, there are 31 school buildings of the second degree, of which 19 are in the
municipality of Matera, which is situated in Basilicata, southern Italy.
Matera is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and has mild winters and hot summers; the minimum
winter temperature is -2 °C, and the maximum summer temperature exceeds 35 °C.
Analysing the total gas consumption for heating all of the school buildings, we found that 748578 standard m 3
of gas was consumed; the power consumption of only the school buildings present in the city of Matera was
65% of the total gas consumption.
This paper focuses on eight different school buildings located in the city of Matera. The total gas consumption
for heating the eight buildings was 314,727 standard m3, (70% of the total gas consumption of Matera schools).
Regarding the period of construction of the school buildings, only 7 of the 8 buildings were built after law
n.10/91 (the first law on energy savings of buildings) was implemented, whereas all of the other buildings were
built between the 1960s and 1980s.
The analysed buildings are different both in form and in construction techniques. Table n. 2 summarizes the
main technical characteristics (envelope and plant) of the various buildings studied.

Installed
Gross Total Opaque Windows S/V Heating
thermal
volume area area area ratio terminals
School name Construction typology power
m3 m2 m2 m2 kW
Radiators
Concrete structure, ceilings
L.G. “ classrooms,
in brick- concrete and brick 24,556.00 5,761.00 5,761.00 873.00 0.36 2×305
E.Duni” laboratories and
walls plastered
offices
Structureand wall in Radiators
L. S. “D. 4×227.0
Alighieri”
concrete and ceilings in 38,496.00 7,830.00 7,494.00 956.00 0.29 classrooms, fan
1×147.0
brick-cement coil units offices
Structure pillars and beams
Radiators
of reinforced concrete,
I.T.C. " classrooms,
reinforced concrete floors 20,846.00 5,814.00 6,171.00 777.00 0.42 4×232
Loperfido" laboratories and
and brick and concrete walls
offices
with air gap"
Radiators
Concrete structure, ceilings
I.T.I.S. “G. B. 1×768 classrooms,
in brick-cement and 53,282.00 16,861.00 18,253.00 1,880.00 0.59
Pentasuglia” 3×633.8 laboratories and
concrete walls
offices
 Radiators
Structure in concrete,
L.S.T. “G. B. classrooms, fan
Pentasuglia”
ceilings in brick-cement and 15,118.00 3,484.00 2,881.00 158.00 0.32 2×191.9
coil units offices
walls with air gaps
and laboratories
Radiators
Structure and wall in
I.T.G. classrooms,
“A. Olivetti”
prefabricated panels and 29,911.00 7,178.00 6,698.00 1025.00 0.46 2×488.5
laboratories and
ceilings in brick-cement
offices
Radiators
Structure in concrete,
I.P.S.S. “I. classrooms,
ceilings in brick-cement and 14,093.00 3,329.00 3,586.00 1195.00 0.34 2×309.0
Morra” laboratories and
walls in brick face view
offices
Radiators
Load-bearing masonry
L.M. " E. classrooms,
structure, vaulted ceilings in 5,550.00 1,500.00 595.00 67.00 0.17 1×280
Duni " laboratories and
limestone
offices
Table 2 - Technical characteristics (envelope and plant) of the various buildings studied

5. First phase: Monitoring campaign and energy diagnosis

To ensure a good energy diagnosis, it is necessary to determine the envelope thermal proprieties and thermal
parameters of the conditioning plant. The measurement and monitoring activities are essential to achieve a
specify energy diagnosis, while also minimizing the error in the next phase of the model construction in the
calculation code.
In this phase, we measured the technical and technological specific parameters of the school buildings: the
surface, volume, window typologies, envelope thickness, roof typologies, and so on.
Next, we individuated the thermal bridges and thermal discontinuity of the envelope using an infrared thermal
camera.
We found the following main thermal bridges in addition to those of form: lack of thermal insulation on the
bearing structures, erroneous connections of the window frame to the masonry and erroneous connections of
the rolling shutter box to the wall. The figures 1 and 2 present sample images.

Figure 1– A specific section of the ITC “ Loperfido” envelope

Figure 2– A specific section of the L.S. “ D. Alighieri” envelope

In the second step, we measured the thermal conductance in situ using a non-invasive methodology described
by UNI EN ISO 9869. This standard involves the use of a heat flow meter and four resistance thermometers to
estimate the thermal conductance.
We mounted the sensors in such a manner to ensure a representative result of the entire wall element. The heat
flow meter must be installed on the inner surface of the wall because this side has a more stable temperature,
avoiding the proximity of thermal bridges and heat sources.
We installed two temperature meters on the inside surface and two on the outside surface of the wall.
The measurement campaigns for all of the school buildings were produced in winter because, to minimize the
error, the presence of a constant temperature difference between the two sides of the masonry (inside and
outside) of approximately 10 °C is essential. The duration of each measurement campaign was ten days, with a
duration of 10 minutes.
We performed a measurement only if the mean temperature difference found between the outer and inner
envelope across all campaigns of measures was between 8 and 9 °C.
There were 7200 processed data points from each measurement campaign.
After 10 days, we calculated the thermal conductance and thermal transmittance with the “progressive average”
or “moving average” method.
Using this method, we calculated the thermal conductance from the sampled values of the surface temperature
and the heat flux using the following equation:
N

q
j1
j

C= N
[W/m 2 K]
 (T
j1
i, j - To, j )

where qj is the thermal flux, Ti,j is the indoor surface temperature and T o,j is the outdoor surface temperature.
As N increases, the ratio tends to converge to a stationary value and is not influenced by the thermal mass of
the wall. The C function converges with oscillations around a horizontal asymptote, with a maximum amplitude
of approximately 0.05 W/m²K.
To calculate the thermal transmittance, we added the normed indoor and outdoor surface resistances R i (0.13
m2K/W) and Re(0.04 m2K/W) to the value C. We used the following formula:

1 1
U  [W / m2 K ]
R Ri  1  Ro
C
If the stratigraphy of envelope was known, then the transmittance was calculated in accordance with UNI EN
ISO 6946:2008 [21].
Table 3 shows the values of the conductance for the eight analysed buildings for both the opaque shell and
transparent one. The transparent envelope was calculated in according to standard UNI EN ISO 10077 1-2 [22].
In the table, the values obtained from ISO 9869 were measured in situ, the values obtained from UNI EN ISO
6946:2008 were calculated because the stratigraphy is noted, and the value obtained from UNI EN ISO 10077
1-2 were calculated using the finite elements method.

School name Opaque vertical envelope Horizontal coverage envelope Transparent envelope
Law Calculation Law Calculation Law Calculation
C U U U
limits typology limits typology limits typology
W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K
UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
L.G. “ E.Duni” 0.48 1.54 0.32 ISO 9869 1.50 0.26 5.78 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
L. S. “D. UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
Alighieri”
2.04 2.54 0.32 ISO 9869 2.21 0.26 5.78 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
I.T.C. " UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
0.31 2.06 0.32 ISO 9869 1.60 0.26 5.78 1.8
Loperfido" 6946:2008 10077-1-2
I.T.I.S. “G. B. UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
0.22 2.54 0.32 ISO 9869 1.51 0.26 5.78 1.8
Pentasuglia” 6946:2008 10077-1-2
L.S.T. “G. B. UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
Pentasuglia”
1.69 0.54 0.32 ISO 9869 1.69 0.26 3.10 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
I.T.G. “A. UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
Olivetti”
0.96 0.83 0.32 ISO 9869 0.88 0.26 4.02 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
I.P.S.S. “I. UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
Morra”
1.77 1.36 0.32 ISO 9869 0.85 0.26 6.02 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
UNI EN ISO UNI EN ISO
L.M. " E. Duni " 1.41 0.63 0.32 ISO 9869 1.04 0.26 3.15 1.8
6946:2008 10077-1-2
Table 3 - Values of the conductance for the eight analysed buildings

Subsequently, we performed a measurement campaign of the combustion efficiency of heat generators

according to the method described by UNI 10389 [19] and analysed the bills of heat consumption (gas and/or
diesel) for the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
For the analysed buildings, we show the measured values of the heat generator efficiency in Table 4 and the
measured values of the heating energy consumption in Table 5. “A.
“D. Alighieri”

“Pentasuglia”

“Pentasuglia”
"Loperfido"

" E. Duni "

“I. Morra”
“E.Duni”

Olivetti”

I.P.S.S.
I.T.I.S.

L.S.T.

I.T.G.
I.T.C.

L.M.
L. S.
L.G.

Generator power [kW] 610.00 1,075.00 928.00 2,669.40 383.80 977.00 618.00 280.00

Efficiency at 100% load 74% 82% 70% 64% 83% 84% 91% 97.9%
Table 4 - Efficiency of the heat generator

School name Methane gas Consumption

2009 2010 2011 2012 Average
Sm3/year Sm3/year Sm3/year Sm3/year Sm3/year
L.G. “ E.Duni” 31,928.00 25,672.00 25,557.00 23,546.00 26,675.75
L. S. “D. Alighieri” 42,195.00 50,522.00 51,606.00 57,519.00 50,460.50
I.T.C. " Loperfido" 39,189.00 37,782.00 37,360.00 33,193.00 36,881.00
I.T.I.S. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 133,959.58 135,994.85 105,833.04 10,3761.05 119,887.13
L.S.T. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 11,961.42 12,143.15 9,449.96 9,264.95 10,704.87
I.T.C.G. “A. Olivetti” 38,947.00 39,197.00 32,481.00 30,409.00 35,258.50
I.P.S.S. “I. Morra” 33,286.00 28,691.00 25,258.00 21,584.00 27,204.75
 L.M. " E. Duni " 8,125.00 7,811.00 7,497.00 7,183.00 7,654.00
Table 5 - Gas consumption for the time step 2009 – 2012

Total UxS UxS

Opaque Windows UxS
Volume dispersing opaque trasparent
School name area area envelope
surface envelope envelope
m3 m2 m2 m2 W/K W/K W/K

L.G. “ E.Duni” 24,556.00 8,838.84 5,761.00 873.00 9,310.75 5,044.19 14,354.94

L. S. “D. Alighieri” 38,496.00 11,015.00 7,494.00 956.00 18,000.63 5,523.77 23,524.40
I.T.C. " Loperfido" 20,846.00 8,767.00 6,171.00 777.00 11,976.35 4,489.51 16,465.86
I.T.I.S. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 53,282.00 31,419.34 18,253.00 1880.00 50,531.65 4,489.51 61,394.29
L.S.T. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 15,118.00 4,910.85 2,881.00 158.00 1,717.86 486.92 2,204.78
I.T.C.G. “A. Olivetti” 29,911.00 11,989.30 6,698.00 1025.00 5,829.58 4,127.03 9,956.61
I.P.S.S. “I. Morra” 14,093.00 6,261.60 3,586.00 1195.00 3,854.60 7,170.00 11,024.60
L.M. " E. Duni " 5,550.00 2,217.00 2,150.00 67.00 1,091.30 210.78 1,302.08
Table 6 - Main energy performance characteristic of the envelope

Finally, we correlated all of the measured values and calculated to date. We analysed the relationship between
the product UxS with the gross volume of the buildings, heat loss through the surfaces and energy consumption
of heating.
The calculation was performed while considering the weighted average of the thermal transmittance for the
surface (opaque vertical, horizontal opaque and transparent). Figures 3 and 4 show that the correlation between
UxS and the gross volume increases with the volume of the building and heat loss. The slope of the line is
higher in the case of the heat loss surface (Figure 4).

Figure 3 -Relationship between UxS and the gross volume

Figure 4 - Relationship between UxS and the heat loss surface

Figure 5 shows the relationship between the product U × S and the gas consumption for heating. In this case,
the slope of the line is less than that of the previous case in spite of the correlation coefficient being higher than
that of the other case.

Figure 5 -Relation between UxS and gas consumption

6. Second phase: Dynamic energy analysis

In this step, a numerical model was developed for each of the school buildings analysed. We used the Energy-
Plus software to analyse the energy performance. The analysis was performed in the dynamic regime.
Before starting the calculation under dynamic conditions, we set the functioning templates of the building (set
point system, during of starting and switching off of the plant, internal loads, lighting loads, opening windows,
etc.); these values were entered according to the actual data acquired by the staff that maintains the boiler and
by the school manager.
The processing of the model under dynamic conditions directly determines the consumption of the heating
thermal energy; this value, once converted into thermal primary energy, was compared with the actual
consumption measured in situ.
Table 7 shows a comparison between the measured annual fossil consumption and simulated annual
consumption, with the percentage error.
 Average
Consumption
School name Consumption Percentage error
simulated
measured
Sm3/year Sm3/year %
L.G. “ E.Duni” 26,675.75 24,782.00 7.10%
L. S. “D. Alighieri” 50,460.50 48,588.00 3.71%
I.T.C. " Loperfido" 36,881.00 33,482.00 9.22%
I.T.I.S. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 119,887.13 117,695.00 1.83%
L.S.T. “G. B. Pentasuglia” 10,704.87 10,528.16 1.65%
I.T.C.G. “A. Olivetti” 35,258.50 34,611.00 1.84%
I.P.S.S. “I. Morra” 27,204.75 28,531.00 -4.88%
L.M. " E. Duni " 7,654.00 7,248.00 5.30%
Table 7 - Comparison between the measured and simulated annual fossil consumption

Because the Energy Plus method outputs the value in kWh/year, the conversion procedure to m 3/year was
performed with reference to the calorific value to 1 m3 of methane gas, equivalent to approximately 35 MJ (9.7
kWh). Next, by dividing the total value of kWh/year by 9.7, the total value of m3/year was obtained.
The low deviation obtained between the simulated fuel consumption and measured consumption is caused by
small uncertainties, including the difficulty of estimating the real program operation of the system installation,
the approximation of the internal loads and the lack of easy access to schematics of thermal bridges in the
numeric code.
In this way, we calibrated the numerical models designed in Energy Plus of the school buildings.
Next, we analysed the following energy performance strategies: improvement of the envelope and heat plant
and the addition of renewable energy systems.

4. Third phase: Energy Performance Strategies

All energy improvement actions were conducted using the dynamic method. We hypothesized different energy
improvement strategies: energy improvements of the envelope and of the system.
The used energy renovation strategies of the envelope were the following: insertion of thermal insulation in the
wall, replacement of the windows, and application of thermal insulation in the roof. Alternatively, the energy
renovation strategies of the system used were the following: substitution of the old plant with a gas heat pump
or with an electric heat pump.
Finally, we analysed the school buildings by implementing renewable energy solutions, such as thermal solar
and photovoltaic systems.

4.1 Performance of the envelope

The energy improvement of the envelope was conducted in such a way as to achieve thermal transmittance
values that were in accordance with the limitations imposed by the three Interministral Italian Decrees 26 June
2015: “Decree for minimum requirements: application of the calculation methodology of the energy
performance and definition of requirements and minimum requirements for buildings” [23].
This improvement was performed in three successive steps, considering the improvement of the opaque
envelope (step 1), replacement of windows frames (step 2) and both solutions of step 1 and 2 (step 3).
The intervention on the opaque envelope consists of an inner insulation of flat roofs and walls, constituted of a
plasterboard sheet thickness of 10 mm coupled to an insulating layer consisting of panel hemp fibre with λ =
0.030 W/m*K.
As shown in Figure 6, the intervention on the windows frames ensured greater primary energy savings (kWh)
that were related to the area of intervention. Furthermore, such an intervention, compared to the application of
the coat on the facades, is easy to implement and does not require the use of expensive external scaffolding.
Figure 6 - Total primary energy consumption before and after their interventions

These improvements provide a total reduction (step 3) of approximately 66.5%, on average, in the consumption
of total primary energy.

Figure 7 - Total primary energy consumption before and after combined intervention of opaque and
transparent envelope

4.2 Performance of the System

Regarding improvements on the system, the adopted solutions are related to the generator system and
regulation system.
The installation of thermostatic valves benefits from all of the free heat gains because of the variation of the
heating flow emitted from the terminals according to the power required by the room.
Improving heating systems was conducted through a heat absorption system that condensed "air to water" gas
via a powered pump (methane or LPG), which exploits the air renewable energy. A G.U.E. of 165% allows a
reduction of the consumption of natural gas for an equally useful power heat flow and contributes 39.4% of the
energy from renewable sources.
The table 8 shows the old system’s efficiency, the system efficiency after improvement and the increase
obtained.

System System Increase

Institute efficiency of efficiency of
old plant new plant
Gymnasium Liceo "L.G."Duni" 0.74 1.65 2.23
Scientific Liceo "L.S." "D. Alighieri" 0.82 1.65 2.01
Technical Institutes "I.T.C""Loperfido" 0.7 1.65 2.36
Technical Institutes "I.T.I.S.""Pentasuglia" 0.64 1.65 2.58
ScientificTechnical Lyceum "L.S.T."Pentasuglia 0.83 1.65 1.99
Technical Institutes "I.T.G" " Olivetti" 0.84 1.65 1.96
Professional Istitutes "I.P.S.S"Morra" 0.84 1.65 1.96
Music Lyceum "L.M. Duni" 0.978 1.65 1.69
Table 8- Old system efficiency and the system efficiency after improvement

As is shown in Figure 8, the improvement of the plant produce a savings, on average, of 48% of the annual total
primary energy consumption

Figure 8 - Total primary energy consumption before and after improving a plant

4.3 Performance of the envelope and plant

Table n. 9 summarizes the results for all of the analysed buildings.

Energy
Energy savings
School Buildings Energy strategy of the envelope consumption
kWh kWh %
Improving opaque envelope 181,844.04 69.7%
Gymnasium Liceo 260,865.00
Improving transparent envelope 106,155.06 40.7%
"L.G."Duni"
Improving plant 128,305.26 49.2%
 Improving opaque envelope and windows 218,830.29 83.9%
Improving envelope and plant 242,458.73 92.9%
Improving opaque envelope 218,995.03 83.9%
Improving transparent envelope 85,210.07 32.7%
Scientific Liceo
Improving plant 511,450.00 237,821.05 46.5%
"L.S." "D. Alighieri"
Improving opaque envelope and windows 401,255.87 78.5%
Improving envelope and plant 445,075.07 87.0%
Improving opaque envelope 234,604.66 66.6%
Improving transparent envelope 88,669.35 25.2%
Technical Institutes
Improving plant 352,440.00 219,231.58 62.2%
"I.T.C""Loperfido"
Improving opaque envelope and windows 266,022.79 75.5%
Improving envelope and plant 303,102.15 86.0%
Improving opaque envelope 482,769.45 39.0%
Improving transparent envelope 351,583.68 28.4%
Technical Institutes
Improving plant 1,238,896.00 756,010.53 61.0%
"I.T.I.S.""Pentasuglia"
Improving opaque envelope and windows 867,227.15 70.0%
Improving envelope and plant 929,265.68 75.0%
Improving opaque envelope 42,096.65 38.0%
Scientific Technical Improving transparent envelope 3,741.68 3.4%
Liceo Improving plant 66,894.74 60.4%
110,823.00
"L.S.T."Pentasuglia" Improving opaque envelope and windows 42,973.53 38.8%
Improving envelope and plant 86,031.30 77.6%
Improving opaque envelope 285,349.43 78.3%
Improving transparent envelope 215,720.53 59.2%
Technical Institutes
Improving plant 364,325.00 187,347.37 51.4%
"I.T.G" " Olivetti"
Improving opaque envelope and windows 287,904.50 79.0%
Improving envelope and plant 327,202.18 89.8%
Improving opaque envelope 37,582.00 12.5%
Improving transparent envelope 26,035.00 8.7%
Professional Istitutes
Improving plant 154,437.03 51.4%
"I.P.S.S"Morra" 300,326.00
Improving opaque envelope and windows 237,329.82 79.0%
Improving envelope and plant 39,042.42 87.0%
Improving opaque envelope 3,820.07 5.0%
Improving transparent envelope 15,283.57 20.0%
Music Lyceum
Improving plant 76,295.00 30,384.09 39.8%
"L.M. Duni"
Improving opaque envelope and windows 20,662.36 27.1%
Improving envelope and plant 22,452.59 29.4%
Table 9 - Results of the analysis

The school that achieved the smallest savings is the institute L.S.T “G. B. Pentasuglia” because it is a building
that was constructed after Italian Law 10/9, that is, the first Italian law on energy savings.
The Music Lyceum ”L.M. Duni” is the school that had the lowest percentage of energy savings after
improvements because it is a historical structure characterized by a room with a vaulted roof and a fresco.
Although this building has a condensing boiler with a high efficiency and this structure is characterized by a
high thermal inertia without thermal insulation, this study shows that the improvement of the envelope
produced primary energy savings greater than 70%, with this percentage reaching 83% for L.G. “E. Duni”.
The percentage of primary energy savings related to the thermal system is close to 50% for four of the school
buildings, and for three schools, the percentage is 60%.
Finally, considering the improvement of the plant and envelope, the percentage of primary energy savings
exceeds 90% for most of the schools.
Acknowledgements
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under grant agreement No 649956.

References:
[1] S. P. Corgnati , V. Corrado, M. Filippi, A method for heating consumption assessment in existing buildings: A field
survey concerning 120 Italian schools, Energy and Buildings 40 (2008) 801-809.
[2] L. Dias Pereira, D. Raimondo, S. Corgnati, M. Gameiro da Silva, Energy consumptioninschools – A reviewpaper,
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 40 (2014) 911–922.
[3] U. Desideri, S. Proietti, Analysis of energy consumption in the high school of the provincie in central Italy, Energy
and Buildings 34 (2002) 1003-1016.
[4] E. G. Dascalakia, V. G. Sermpetzogloub, Energy performance and indoor environmental quality in Hellenic schools,
Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 718–727.
[5] L. de Santoli, F. Fraticelli, F. Fornari, C. Calice, Energy performance assessment and a retrofit strategies in public
school buildings in Rome, Energy and Buildings 68 part A (2014) 196-202.
[6] U. Desideri, D. Leonardi, L. Arcioni, P. Sdringola, European project Educa-RUE: An example of energy efficiency
paths in educational buildings, Energy and Buildings 68 part A (2014) 196-202.
[7] P. Lourenc¸ M. Duarte Pinheiro, T. Heitor, From indicators to strategies: Key Performance Strategies forsustainable
energy use in Portuguese school buildings, Energy and Buildings 85 (2014) 212-224.
[8] Johann Reiss, Energy retrofitting of the school buildings to achieve plus energy and 3-litre building standards,
Energy Procedia 48 (2014) 1503-1511.
[9] G. Dall'O, L. Sarto, Potential and limits to improve energy efficiency in space heating in existing school buildings in
northern Italy, Energy and Buildings 67 (2013) 298-308.
[10] V. De Giuli, O. Da Pos, M. De Carli, Indoor environmental quality and pupil perception in Italian primary schools,
Building and Environment 56 (2012) 335-345.
[11] F. R. D'Ambrosio Alfano, E. Ianniello, B. I. Palella, PMV-PPD and acceptability in naturally ventilated schools,
Building and Environment 67 (2013) 129-137.
[12] F. Calise, Thermoeconomic analysis and optimization of high efficiency solar heating and cooling systems for
different Italian school buildings and climates, Energy and Buildings 42 (2010) 992-1003.
[13] Rospi G., Cardinale N., Stazi A., Energy and Microclimatic Performance of Restored Hypogeous Buildings in South
Italy: the "Sassi" District of Matera”, Building and Environment 45 Issue 1 (2010) 94-106.
[14] G. Rospi, N. Cardinale, P. Stefanizzi, Energy and microclimatic performance of Mediterranean vernacular buildings:
The Sassi district of Matera and the Trulli district of Alberobello, Building and Environment 59 (2013) 590-598
[15] G. Rospi, N. Cardinale, Intini F., Cardinale T., Analysisi of Energy consumption of different typologies of school
buildings in the city on Matera (Southern Italy), Energy Procedia 82 (2015) 512-518
[16] Energy Plus vers. 8.3, Program Energy Efficiency, Energy Technologies and Renewable Energy, U.S. Deparment of
Energy. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/.
[17] Standard ISO 9869-1:2014, “Thermal insulation - Building elements - In situ measurement of thermal resistance and
thermal transmittance"
[18] G. Rospi, N. Cardinale, P. Stefanizzi, V. Augenti, Thermal performance of a mobile home with light envelope,
Building Simulation, 3 (2010) 331-338.
[19] Standard UNI 10389-1:2009, “Heat Generators - Flue Gases Analysis And Measurement On Site Of Combustion
Efficiency”
[20] G. Rospi, N. Catdinale, P. Stefanizzi, V. Augenti, Thermal performance of mobile home with light envelope,
Building Simulation 3 Issue 4 (2010) 331-338
[21] Standard UNI EN ISO 6946:2008 , “Building components and building elements -- Thermal resistance and thermal
transmittance - Calculation method”
[22] Standard UNI EN ISO 10077 1-2, “Thermal performance of windows, doors and shutters -- Calculation of thermal
transmittance”