Improving the energy performance of healthcare buildings: a case study

Abstract

The energy issue due to dependence on fossil fuels, pollution, and problems due to climate change are closely related issues. To address them, in recent years, solutions are being studied that provide for different methodologies that exploit alternative sources and technologies capable of reducing the environmental impact. One of the sectors most affected by the problem linked to environmental sustainability is the building sector, as can be read in the European Union directive 91 of 2002: “the energy used in the residential, healthcare and service sectors, made up for the most part of buildings, represents more than 40% of the total energy consumption”. To reduce the environmental load due to construction, it is necessary to study the energy performance of buildings, understand their critical issues and improve their efficiency using systems that exploit renewable energy sources and new construction techniques. In this study, a methodology will be developed to analyse the plant and energy characteristics of healthcare facilities, referring to the “target” buildings of a healthcare complex of Central Italy that will be used as a case study, highlighting all the problems and critical issues. Solutions will be proposed to improve the energy performance of the healthcare buildings, indicating the interventions to be implemented.