An EU-funded project has increased the energy efficiency of the infant school at Ramazzano, near Perugia in the Italian region of Umbria. Upgrades to the three-storey building – which dates from the 1950s and has total floor space of 840 m² – included thermal insulation of the building envelope, which separates the interior and exterior of the structure. In addition, two heat pumps were integrated into the heating system and a solar energy plant with peak production capacity of 10 kilowatt hours was installed on the roof.
- 21 August 2018
The results of the project were more than positive if you consider a reduction in the energy requirements of the building of over 90 %, as well as significant reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions and energy management costs.
A total of 31 mainly single-glazed windows and wooden window frames were replaced with energy-efficient, low-emissivity glass, which is designed to prevent heat escaping. Thermostatic valves were fitted to radiators to improve temperature control of the rooms.
The heat pumps enhance the efficiency of the solar energy plant and supplement the heat from the existing methane gas boiler. They also meet all of the building’s winter air conditioning needs.
Lack of insulation
The school has 45 cm-thick stone load-bearing walls with mortar and plaster on both sides, floor slabs made of hollow-core concrete and a clay-tiled roof. Prior to the upgrades, it had no insulating material. The 31 window frames were all made of wood, except for an aluminium frame at semi-basement level, while the windows all had single glazing, apart from 14 that had been fitted with thermally insulated double glazing in 2010.By cutting the school’s energy consumption by 90 %, with total savings equivalent to nine tonnes of oil, and its CO2 emissions by 21 tonnes a year, the project has improved its energy performance from a ‘G’ to an ‘A’ rating. Annual financial savings stand at EUR 8 500.
An additional project
The Ramazzano infant school received further support under the EU-financed ‘Municipalities subsidiarity for actions on energy’ project. This was aimed at making its energy use even more efficient through installation of a system for remote management of three boilers, internal lighting, video surveillance, and fire and burglar alarms.
The system allows remote meter readings to be taken of solar energy produced by the rooftop plant, total energy consumed by the building and energy consumed by the heat pumps. In addition, it stores energy production and consumption data in a cloud system for use by relevant parties and displays it on an information panel at the school entrance.
Furthermore, 37 indoor lights, almost all of them neon tubes, were replaced by LED lights, thus halving energy requirements for lighting. The project also evaluated the possibility of installing an electricity storage system and connecting it to the solar energy plant with a view to developing an external night-lighting network for the school grounds composed of four 70-watt LED lamps.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Energy efficiency investments in the maternal school of Ramazzano” is EUR 285 576, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 225 576 through the “Umbria” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period.