Effectiveness of different strategies in the retrofit of Italian school buildings: Influence of thermal inertia and solar control

Most of the Italian school buildings were built before the 1973 energy crisis, so they need a retrofit to reduce their primary energy demand and improve indoor environment quality. These buildings are equipped with large windows, therefore it is necessary a solar control strategy to ensure thermal and visual comfort and contain energy demand. Furthermore the older buildings have heavy masonry, in these cases the problem is where it is more convenient to place an additional layer of insulation: inside or outside the buildings opaque envelope elements. This work is aimed to explore, by means of computer simulations, the effects of various retrofit strategies on primary energy demand and general comfort conditions. The examined strategies are characterized by different positions of the additional insulation and various solar control devices. At present, the case studies consist in two school buildings in the city of Bologna in the North of Italy. In order to assess the influence of internal gains and time profile of use, other possible intended uses for the same buildings, such as offices or dwellings, were simulated.