Healthy Climate and Energy Savings: Using Thermal Ceramic Panels and Solar Thermal Panels in Mediterranean Housing Blocks

Abstract

Radiant surface conditioning systems based on capillary tube mats not only provide high standards of comfort, but they also generate substantial energy savings. These systems allow for using renewable energies such as solar thermal panels because they function with water at moderate temperatures—lower in winter and higher in summer—compared to fan-coil systems or hot water radiator systems. Moreover, in summer, they can be combined with solar cooling systems based on lithium chloride or absorption systems based on lithium bromide, which enable the cooling of water at 15–16 °C by means of solar thermal panel energy collection. This further reduces the annual energy. The purpose of this study was to examine the application of thermal ceramic panels (TCP) containing prolipropylen (PPR) capillary tube mats, in residential buildings in the Spanish Mediterranean. The water distribution system was set up individually from a heat pump and was combined with a community system of solar thermal panels. After monitoring a home over a complete one-year cycle, the annual energy demand was quantified through simulations, based on both the radiant system and the VRV system, as well as in combination with a thermal solar panel system. TCP panels reduced the annual energy demands by 31.48%, and the additional investment cost of €11,497 could be amortized over 23.31 years. The combination of TCP panels with 18.5 m2 of solar thermal panels reduced the annual energy demand by 69.47%, and the investment of €20,534 of additional cost could be amortized over 15.67 years. The energy consumptions of installation elements were also comparatively quantified.

The Passivhaus Standard in the Spanish Mediterranean: Evaluation of a House’s Thermal Behaviour of Enclosures and Airtightness

“…Load losses or gains due to thermal bridges were estimated at 3.5% of the total thermal loads by U thermal transmittance of the enclosures. These values are similar to values obtained in previous studies [56,57].…”

“…Most notably, the annual energy demand of the PH house accounted for 30.81% of the usual value for buildings in the Mediterranean region under study. Regarding the most recent buildings built under the CTE umbrella, this percentage is 39.73% [57]. A drastic drop in energy consumption can be observed.…”

Underfloor Heating Using Ceramic Thermal Panels and Solar Thermal Panels in Public Buildings in the Mediterranean: Energy Savings and Healthy Indoor Environment

“…The conditions of comfort, time and emission power are currently satisfactory. These empirical data were applied to a Spanish Mediterranean home, with excellent results regarding comfort and energy consumption reduction [13]. TCP ceramic panels also have other advantages over plaster finishes and metallic materials such as steel sheets.…”

“…Taking into account that overall installation performance was 84.5% [46], total energy contribution to the TCP panel radiant floor system, using water in winter, and a solar cooling system with energy storage by lithium chloride (LiCl) was 66,559 kWh/y. The results obtained by the Design Builder simulation were calibrated and corrected using these on-site solar energy results [13] and compared to other studies on thermal energy in similar climates [42,47,48]. The system's energy savings were of 60.79% compared to all-air convective systems (Table 3).…”

Development and Performance Test including Mechanical and Thermal of New Tenon Composite Block Masonry Walls

“…As a result, architectural concepts of "ecological cities," "green buildings," "building energy conservation," and "low-carbon buildings" have been gradually applied [1][2][3]. Statistical data indicate that heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems for buildings comprise approximately 50% of the building energy consumption and 20% of the total energy consumption in the United States [4,5]. Table 1 shows the energy consumption percentage of different building parts, including the airconditioning, illumination, kitchen, and water supply systems, and it can be seen that air-conditioning accounts for most of the energy consumption, which is related to the air temperature and the thermal performance of external maintenance components in a building.…”