In our Mediterranean regions we cannot leave out of consideration the climate variability and the seasonal changes.

From this new culture of building we can derive various and long- term benefits, since:

• It allows the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and the increase of the environmental sustainability;
• It renews the immovable market, developing innovation and economy;
• An excellent living comfort and air hygiene;
• It guarantees an excellent building quality, avoiding the problems of condensations and moulds;
• It guarantees a good performance of the building;
• It is a support and a new opportunity for small and middle sized companies of the territory;
• Everyone can choose the energetic quality of his/her own house reducing significantly the management expenses.

Description of the energetic concept of the building

In this building, the most important aim is to save energy both for the winter heating as well for the summer cooling. In this case, the use of the thermo-reflective insulation is the right solution.

In order to obtain a great energetic efficiency it is necessary to minimize the losses and to exploit the passive solar earnings and the internal heat contributes. The advantages we can obtain are: the reduction of heating costs, the improvement of our living comfort and of the commercial value of the building.

The main elements to be considered in buildings for saving energy are:

• The heat insulation of the envelope;
• The external casings;
• The orientation and the shape;
• The air seal;
• The production of sanitary warm water trough alternative sources;
• The living comfort;
• The low environmental impact;
• Low management expenses;
• The increase of the building’s commercial value.
  
  
  
• a) HEAT INSULATION OF THE ENVELOPE
  The most important element is the heat insulation which allows the house not to loose heat in winter and not to overheat in summer, a key element of the thermo-reflecting insulation since it allows to save thermal energy in winter by reflecting heat towards the inside of the home and in summer by reflecting towards the outside, ensuring a cool environment in the inside of the house.
  
  
• b) THE EXTERNAL CASINGS
  Even the external casings have a fundamental role, since low-quality windows may cause heat losses of about 20%. Therefore it is necessary to use thermo-insulating windows, which guarantee an excellent thermal and sound insulation and a right brightness.
  
  
• c) ORIENTATION AND SHAPE
  In order to exploit the solar energy it is important to find the correct orientation of the building, exploiting the solar irradiance in the winter months and the shading in the summer ones.
  During the planning phase we need to consider carefully even the shape of the building, since very complex shapes increase the energetic requirement.
  
  
• d) AIR SEAL
  A building with an adequate air seal and protected against the wind reduces the energetic losses and increase the living comfort.
  This does not mean that it does not transpire, rather that there are neither unwelcome air draughts inside the houses nor energy losses.
  
  
• e) LIVNG COMFORT
  Inside a building with a low energetic consumption, both the thermal and the sound insulation are the sources of a high living comfort.
  With thermal insulation we mean the sensation of comfort we feel staying in an environment, due to a beneficial heat perception determined by the fact that the air, inside the house, is uniform, independently from the zone, this means also next to windows or perimeter walls (operating temperature). The less the difference between rooms temperature and the temperature of the internal surfaces of the constructive elements, the biggest the thermal comfort.
  With environmental comfort we mean the right balance among heat sensation, temperature and the right relative humidity. From the acoustic point of view this implies the possibility of not being disturbed by unwelcome sounds and noises, deriving both from internal sources (lift, neighbours noises) and from external sources (industries, planes, traffic).
  
  
• f) LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
  Buildings planned in this way will emit totally less CO2 in comparison with a similar buildings projected in the traditional way.
  
  
  
• g) LOW MANAGEMENT EXPENSES
  The building will require a small amount of energy to guarantee the internal comfort; this will allow to reduce the heating bills during all the year.
  
  
  
• h) INCREASE OF THE BUILDING COMMERCIAL VALUE
  Living in a building with a low energy consumption does not mean only having a high thermal and acoustic comfort, lack of building defects and low management expenses, but also owing a building which is revaluated in time since the continuous increase of the fossil fuel is causing problems to the energetic and economic management of our houses.