The energy refurbishment of typical school buildings in Cyprus following an integrated methodology

Abstract

School buildings account for a significant percentage of public buildings in Cyprus. Most of them have been constructed before the establishment of any energy efficiency regulations, constituting thus, aged and high-consuming premises. Therefore, energy refurbishment of school buildings can have a significant impact on the overall energy consumption of the public building sector contributing thus, to the European Union targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and increasing the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Energy refurbishment of school buildings should focus not only on minimizing energy consumption and increasing renewable energy production but also on improving thermal comfort and indoor conditions, to create a healthier and more productive environment for the pupils. In addition to that, actions regarding the enhancement of sustainable mobility are also considered to fulfil the requirements of the 2018/844/EU directive. This article presents the retrofit solutions proposed for the energy refurbishment of a high school building in Nicosia, Cyprus in the framework of a European-funded project aiming to create Nearly Zero Energy school buildings and to promote sustainable mobility. Normative requirements, operational conditions, and indoor environmental issues based on in-situ observations were considered for the selection of the most appropriate interventions. The proposed measures are expected to reduce the primary energy consumption of the building by 33.908 kWh/a, equal to 55%, whilst significantly improving the Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ).