Energy Optimization and Environmental Comfort: Software Analysis and Evidence-Based Retrofitting Solution for Office Buildings in Sicily

Abstract

In new buildings especially, offices receive a lot of light, thanks to the prevalent use of large window surfaces, and they are among the lowest consumers of electricity per day. Historic buildings, on the other hand, even when adapted for different purposes over the years, are among the highest consumers of electricity, mainly because of the use of narrower and taller windows. Furthermore, in a climate such as the Sicilian one, which features hot, muggy, dry, and sunlit summers and cool, humid, windy, and partially cloudy winters, the design of windows or doors plays an essential role. This paper is centered on a case study of an administrative office building belonging to the University of Messina. Such a choice was aimed at analyzing an evidence-based retrofitting solution that could also be suitable for other existing historical buildings in Sicily, which would help reduce the energy load for cooling and heating and improve the quality of the internal environment. This work also aims to calculate the parameters to evaluate the energy efficiency of the building's fixtures, exploiting the peculiarities of selected software applications, from which it is also possible to obtain data on the internal environmental quality. The various simulations will lead to verifying energy efficiency and internal comfort, by testing both the original frames and the fixtures after renovation. The study also presents the final retrofitting solutions and design recommendations, which aim to contribute, with validated knowledge, to the improvement of window performance, in a typically Mediterranean climate environment, to guide architects and stakeholders to apply a series of passive parameters, which will reduce energy consumption and improve occupant comfort in historic buildings.