IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v13y2020i5p1243-d329745.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Cost-Optimal Analysis of a Multistory Building in the Mediterranean Area: Financial and Macroeconomic Projections

Author

Listed:
  • Roberto Bruno

    (Mechanical, Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Piero Bevilacqua

    (Mechanical, Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Cristina Carpino

    (Mechanical, Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Natale Arcuri

    (Mechanical, Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

Abstract

Cost-optimal analysis was pointed out in the 2010/31 European Directive as a tool to evaluate the achievable building energy performance levels as a function of the corresponding costs. These analyses can be carried out by a financial projection for private investors and a macroeconomic approach to establish the minimal energy performance levels. Consequently, the financial projection provides different results that could stimulate private investors toward other cost-optimal solutions that do not match the minimal energy performance levels. For this purpose, both the projections were analyzed in the BEopt environment, developed by NREL, on a multistory building located in two contrasting climatic zones of the Mediterranean area, one cold and the other warm, highlighting the differences. The cost-optimal solutions were identified by a parametric study involving measures that affect thermal losses and solar gains, whereas the air-conditioning plant was left unchanged in order to include a fraction of renewable energy in the coverage of the building demands. Results showed that both the projections produced the same cost-optimal solutions, however, the latter matches the building designed to fulfill the minimal energy performance levels only in the cold climate. Conversely, noticeable deviations were detected in the warm location, therefore minimal energy performance levels should be revised, with preference for less insulated opaque surfaces and better performing glazing systems. Moreover, the macroeconomic scenario returns a more limited distance between the minimal energy performance levels and the cost-optimal solutions, therefore, it is far from the real economic frame sustained by private investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Roberto Bruno & Piero Bevilacqua & Cristina Carpino & Natale Arcuri, 2020. "The Cost-Optimal Analysis of a Multistory Building in the Mediterranean Area: Financial and Macroeconomic Projections," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:5:p:1243-:d:329745
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/5/1243/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/5/1243/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stevanović, Sanja, 2016. "Parametric study of a cost-optimal, energy efficient office building in Serbia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 117(P2), pages 492-505.
    2. Corgnati, Stefano Paolo & Fabrizio, Enrico & Filippi, Marco & Monetti, Valentina, 2013. "Reference buildings for cost optimal analysis: Method of definition and application," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 983-993.
    3. D'Agostino, Delia & Parker, Danny, 2018. "A framework for the cost-optimal design of nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in representative climates across Europe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 814-829.
    4. Katharine Ricke & Laurent Drouet & Ken Caldeira & Massimo Tavoni, 2018. "Country-level social cost of carbon," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(10), pages 895-900, October.
    5. Karásek, Jiří & Pojar, Jan & Kaločai, Ladislav & Heralová, Renáta Schneiderová, 2018. "Cost optimum calculation of energy efficiency measures in the Czech Republic," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 155-166.
    6. Bruno, Roberto & Bevilacqua, Piero & Cuconati, Teresa & Arcuri, Natale, 2019. "Energy evaluations of an innovative multi-storey wooden near Zero Energy Building designed for Mediterranean areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 929-941.
    7. Baglivo, Cristina & Congedo, Paolo Maria & D'Agostino, Delia & Zacà, Ilaria, 2015. "Cost-optimal analysis and technical comparison between standard and high efficient mono-residential buildings in a warm climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 560-575.
    8. Congedo, Paolo Maria & Baglivo, Cristina & D'Agostino, Delia & Zacà, Ilaria, 2015. "Cost-optimal design for nearly zero energy office buildings located in warm climates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 967-982.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Ferrara & Valentina Monetti & Enrico Fabrizio, 2018. "Cost-Optimal Analysis for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings Design and Optimization: A Critical Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-32, June.
    2. D'Agostino, D. & Parker, D. & Epifani, I. & Crawley, D. & Lawrie, L., 2022. "How will future climate impact the design and performance of nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs)?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    3. Cristina Baglivo & Delia D’Agostino & Paolo Maria Congedo, 2018. "Design of a Ventilation System Coupled with a Horizontal Air-Ground Heat Exchanger (HAGHE) for a Residential Building in a Warm Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-27, August.
    4. D'Agostino, Delia & Parker, Danny, 2018. "A framework for the cost-optimal design of nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in representative climates across Europe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 814-829.
    5. Cristina Baglivo & Paolo Maria Congedo & Matteo Di Cataldo & Luigi Damiano Coluccia & Delia D’Agostino, 2017. "Envelope Design Optimization by Thermal Modelling of a Building in a Warm Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-34, November.
    6. Fan, Cheng & Huang, Gongsheng & Sun, Yongjun, 2018. "A collaborative control optimization of grid-connected net zero energy buildings for performance improvements at building group level," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 536-549.
    7. Eleftheria Touloupaki & Theodoros Theodosiou, 2017. "Optimization of External Envelope Insulation Thickness: A Parametric Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Baglivo, Cristina & Congedo, Paolo Maria, 2016. "High performance precast external walls for cold climate by a multi-criteria methodology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P1), pages 561-576.
    9. Malvoni, Maria & Baglivo, Cristina & Congedo, Paolo Maria & Laforgia, Domenico, 2016. "CFD modeling to evaluate the thermal performances of window frames in accordance with the ISO 10077," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 430-438.
    10. Delia D’Agostino & Ilaria Zacà & Cristina Baglivo & Paolo Maria Congedo, 2017. "Economic and Thermal Evaluation of Different Uses of an Existing Structure in a Warm Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-29, May.
    11. Zinzi, Michele & Mattoni, Benedetta, 2019. "Assessment of construction cost reduction of nearly zero energy dwellings in a life cycle perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    12. Sadaf Alam & Miimu Airaksinen & Risto Lahdelma, 2021. "Attitudes and Approaches of Finnish Retrofit Industry Stakeholders toward Achieving Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-24, June.
    13. Congedo, Paolo Maria & Baglivo, Cristina & D'Agostino, Delia & Zacà, Ilaria, 2015. "Cost-optimal design for nearly zero energy office buildings located in warm climates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 967-982.
    14. António M. Raimundo & Nuno Baía Saraiva & Luisa Dias Pereira & Ana Cristina Rebelo, 2021. "Market-Oriented Cost-Effectiveness and Energy Analysis of Windows in Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-19, June.
    15. Zhang, Sheng & Sun, Yongjun & Cheng, Yong & Huang, Pei & Oladokun, Majeed Olaide & Lin, Zhang, 2018. "Response-surface-model-based system sizing for Nearly/Net zero energy buildings under uncertainty," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1020-1031.
    16. Paolo Maria Congedo & Delia D’Agostino & Cristina Baglivo & Giuliano Tornese & Ilaria Zacà, 2016. "Efficient Solutions and Cost-Optimal Analysis for Existing School Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-24, October.
    17. Cristina Baglivo & Paolo Maria Congedo & Delia D’Agostino, 2018. "Multi-Objective Analysis for the Optimization of a High Performance Slab-on- Ground Floor in a Warm Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-28, November.
    18. Araújo, Catarina & Almeida, Manuela & Bragança, Luís & Barbosa, José Amarilio, 2016. "Cost–benefit analysis method for building solutions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 124-133.
    19. Guariso, Giorgio & Sangiorgio, Matteo, 2019. "Multi-objective planning of building stock renovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 101-110.
    20. Patrycja Klusak & Matthew Agarwala & Matt Burke & Moritz Kraemer & Kamiar Mohaddes, 2023. "Rising Temperatures, Falling Ratings: The Effect of Climate Change on Sovereign Creditworthiness," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(12), pages 7468-7491, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:5:p:1243-:d:329745. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.