Energy flexibility in Mediterranean buildings: a case-study in Sicily

Since the building sector is responsible for 40% of the world’s electricity demand, it is essential to act on it in order to reduce emissions of climate change gases on a global scale, as expressed also in the latest directive on the energy performance of buildings. A design approach that focuses on the energy flexibility of buildings can contribute to the improvement of its energy-environmental performances. In this context, the objective of the study is the analysis of the energy performance of a residential building in Sicily and the definition of strategies aimed at increasing its energy flexibility. In particular, the case study is a 631 m2 single-family house, modeled and simulated in TRNSYS environment. The approach involves the development of scenarios to reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions during the use phase of the building. Rule Based Control algorithms are implemented. The flexible control reacts to a price or emission signal, by modulating the heating set-point accordingly. The results highlighted significant increases in energy flexibility. The economic algorithm achieves savings of 21.46%, accompanied by a 15% reduction in emissions. The environmental algorithm allows to reduce CO2 emissions by about 30%. The economic impact is positive, with a 17.58% reduction in costs.