Maintenance and Energy Optimization of Lighting Systems for the Improvement of Historic Buildings: A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract:Proper lighting is vital to improve, from an artistic point of view, the surface expanse and decorative detailing of architectural heritage buildings considered valuable. When properly lit, monumental buildings can become to onlookers an essential part of the city. Nowadays, for design planners dealing with the improvement of buildings, whose architectural design should be valorized, the real challenge is to combine the lighting artistic requirements with scrupulous economic management in order to limit the energy demand and to respect the environment. For these reasons, this case study examines the lighting of the monumental façade and the cloister of St. Peter in Chains situated in the Faculty of Engineering of Sapienza University of Rome. The present lighting installation, characterized by metal halides, compact fluorescent and halogen lamps, is compared with an alternative scenario presenting LED lamps and scenographic lighting of the monumental façade. Such comparison is based on the evaluation of the lighting levels for different visual tasks and on energy and maintenance issues; the first analysis was performed through the software DIALux Evo 4.0, whereas the second was performed using ecoCALC. This study leads to the conclusion that the lighting levels of the solution OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 10771 presenting LED lamps are better than those of the present solution, and they comply with current standards. Finally, the higher costs of LED lamp installations and the scenographic lighting of the monumental façade are balanced by lower maintenance costs, with a payback period of seven years.

Analyzing the energetic performances of AMR regenerator working with different magnetocaloric materials: Investigations and viewpoints

“…Figure 11. ∆Tspan as a function of TH [22] The general trend, as expected from equation (8), shows that the temperature span increases with the increasing hot-side temperature. The greatest values of temperature span are that proper of Gd5(Si2Ge2) (from +7 to +14% with respect to pure Gd), even if the investigated temperature range does not include its Curie point; rather than Pr0.65Sr0.35MnO3 of whom are registered the smallest ΔTspan despite that its Curie temperature is quite centered in the explored temperature range.…”

“…Human activities have increased the energy consumption in buildings [8][9][10][11][12], because of the growing HVAC employment, environmental pollution [13] and the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This resulted in a substantial heating of the land surface and atmosphere that adversely affected the natural ecosystem.…”

Application of Absorption Systems Powered by Solar Ponds in Warm Climates for the Air Conditioning in Residential Buildings

“…The issue of having proper maintenance, which should be sustainable from an economic point of view and able to guarantee the reliability of the system [40,41] (especially if the systems are not traditional [42] or if the goal is to simplify the system by using the most reliable regulation system [43]), might be the subject of a future study (the present work can be considered a first approach to this type of problem). Further developments might concern the realization of a prototype that can provide experimental data about the functioning with reference to different meteorological conditions.…”

Management Optimization of the Luminous Flux Regulation of a Lighting System in Road Tunnels. A First Approach to the Exertion of Predictive Control Systems

“…The MTBF used for the reliability analysis of the systems examined is positively affected by the exertion of LED lamps (Case 2), substituting partially HPS lamps (Case 1), since LED lights service life is longer than HPS lamps' (Table 3) [33]. The maintenance of the system of Case 2 reports lower costs than Case 1.…”