The impact of energy improvement measures in single-family residential buildings on air pollution in the city of Uzice

Abstract

The majority of existing architecture in Serbia has poor thermal characteristics, and heating systems are mostly based on polluting energy sources. This problem results in the unsatisfactory ecological image of cities, and it is endangering the health of the population. Therefore, improving energy performance is becoming an increasingly common principle of design, within both new and existing buildings. The starting point of this paper is that the use of more than sixteen thousand individual heating systems within single-family households in Uzice is one of the most influential air pollutants in the city. The poor quality of energy sources and improper combustion processes release toxic substances into the atmosphere, but the cause of increased emissions of pollutants can be identified in the poor characteristics of thermal envelopes. This research explores whether there is a solution that reduces the pollution in single-family houses by changing the thermal envelope and heating system. The first part of the study points out the main characteristics of the Uzice agglomeration, air pollution and energy sources, while the second part describes the selected single-family housing location in the city. The final part of the research examines the impact of various energy improvement measures on the air pollution in the city of Uzice.