Energy Retrofit of Public Educational Buildings and Sustainable Mobility: Case study in Crete

Abstract

The European Union, through the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive, has been establishing requirements and expectations regarding energy savings and efficiency in buildings. Educational buildings comprise a significant part of public buildings that should lead the way in the energy retrofitting of existing building stock. The present study aims to create intelligent school complexes that will be energy upgraded to meet the need for reduced energy consumption in the public sector in order to comply with EU guidelines, optimize the sense of comfort, introduce the renewable energy and enhance sustainable mobility by creating electric charging stations for vehicles. Retrofitting approaches consider thermal insulation of the building envelope, replacement of heating and lighting system with more efficient ones and installation of building management system for the creation of an electronic application that will monitor the energy status of the building in real time and will train users in the proper use of new energy management technologies from RES. The overall objective of the project is to create Intelligent Buildings Standards of Nearly Zero Consumption which promote an overall ecological character of public buildings demonstrating their social role.

A Review of Energy Efficiency Interventions in Public Buildings

“…In line with the holistic approach to energy conservation, a novel addition to many modern retrofit practices is the provision of electric vehicle charging stations. While this addition does not directly impact the energy consumption of the building itself, it signifies a broader commitment to green and sustainable practices that extend beyond the building's immediate needs, reflecting a broader vision for a sustainable urban infrastructure [12].…”

“…Heracleous et al ( 2023) [12] reported on the case study of a public school building constructed in 1980. They adopted a comprehensive approach to energy conservation was adopted, targeting both passive and active interventions.…”

“…The design and quality of building openings, or fenestration, are paramount in energy conservation [12,61,84,86,88]. Modern advancements in materials, such as aerogel and vacuum glazing, offer exceptional insulation [89,90,92].…”

“…Heating/cooling systems [12,17,19,26,29,35,36,39,44,46 It is worth noting that several measures focus on specialized energy aspects, such as reactive power coefficient compensation and relative humidity control, indicating a nuanced approach to retrofitting where even specific electrical and thermal parameters are fine-tuned for optimization.…”