Abstract
The current European energy policies have an influence on the need to rehabilitate the housing stock in order to meet the objectives of the European Union. Most of this housing stock was built without any type of energy regulation in adverse technical and economic conditions and thus is now energetically obsolete. The major rehabilitation effort required must be approached through actions based on previous quantitative energy knowledge of the existing buildings in order to guarantee the efficiency of energy-retrofitted solutions. This assessment can be carried out through monitoring dwellings conditioned by use patterns; through simulation programs, which do not usually offer faithful representations of energy conditions; or by using test cells, which allow us to evaluate a controlled indoor environment without the influence of users. The objective of this paper is to present the design and performance of test cells as an experimental method for vertical facade analysis in order to tackle the problem of retrofitting residential buildings in a Mediterranean climate, taking into account energy and environment. With this equipment, efficiency and energy savings, as well as illumination and interior air quality, can be simultaneously and comprehensively evaluated.
Highlights
European regulations establish common ground for reducing energy consumption and meeting the requirements set by the EU for 2020 [1], with housing stock as one of the central lines of action
TheThe aimaim of study is is toto show the and one-pair test cells,which which allow in a the optimization ofthis building envelope solutions for the of retrofit oftest residential buildings ofvertical this study show thedesign design andperformance performance one-pair cells, allow optimization of vertical buildingenvelope envelope solutions for thewith retrofit buildings inin aanother the the optimization vertical building solutions the retrofit of residential residential buildings a Mediterranean area.ofThe environmental conditions in afor cell an of existing envelope and
The use of test cells provided precise and tangible information to determine improvements ambient conditions in retrofitted processes for dwellings located in a Mediterranean climate, without in ambient conditions in retrofitted processes for dwellings located in a Mediterranean climate, the influence of users
Summary
European regulations establish common ground for reducing energy consumption and meeting the requirements set by the EU for 2020 [1], with housing stock as one of the central lines of action.Most housing stock was built outside energy regulations of any sort and with little technology and funding. In southern Spain, the housing stock was built before the implementation of the first legislation for the thermal regulation of buildings, CT-79 in 1980 [3], in a context of limited technical and economic means, with a view to providing universal access to housing for the working class. This housing stock presents deficient energy conditions requiring high energy consumption in order to maintain suitable comfort conditions [4]. In the current economic climate, architectural retrofitting, covered by retrofitted supporting policies [6], is a priority in the construction sector
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
