Building Energy and Environment Performance System (BEEPS): a programme for building energy certification in Italy

Abstract

This paper deals with the Kyoto protocol implication for the built environment. This work relates to a research study undertaken by the Ministry for the Environment in Italy and the Department of Fisica Tecnica at the University La Sapienza of Rome aimed at defining an instrument to use in the calculation of the energy performance in existing buildings in Italy. This instrument would make allowances for climactic conditions, indoor comfort conditions and associated costs as established by the European Union (Working Party on National Environmental Policy, Policy Instruments for Environmentally Sustainable Buildings, ENV/EPOC/WPNEP (2001)6). It was established that the European Community would promote actions in the sustainable building sector with the intent to: · reduce CO2 emissions; · minimize waste; · prevent pollution in indoor environments. Following the acknowledgement of official directives regarding the operational strategies of high energy consumption buildings (Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings, 2002/91/CE), a program for the energy certification of buildings and the calculation of the building and its building services was begun in Italy (BEEPS, Building Energy and Environment Performance System). This program is divided into two phases: the first phase deals with an individual evaluation of the existing buildings, available on the Internet, aimed at providing an initial, simplified calculation, while the next phase is a more in-depth study of the buildings that have not met the minimum standards from the individual evaluation. The code that has been developed will use parameters such as: resource consumption, environmental impact, indoor environment quality, materials used, and economic costs. The software will be implemented through three distinct calculation sections: the building envelope, the installed equipment and the indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The three sections will be calculated using an analytical life-cycle technique that supplies a balance of matter and energy and takes into consideration the entire life-cycle of the materials, products or services. Data collection will be carried out via the Internet.