CasaZeroEnergy: an Italian example of a Low Carbon Building

CasaZeroEnergy is a Zero Energy Building. It is the prototype of a building does not use energy from the net produced from sources of fossil origin and not renewable, but it produces the needed energy with alternative energetic systems. It has been planned on the criteria of the bioclimatic architecture with passive equipment to take advantage from the climatic characteristics of the place for the winter heating and for the inner refreshment and ventilation . The house is built with natural, renewable, recycled and recyclable materials. For this it is classifiable as “natural building”. The load-bearing structure is a framed system with timber posts and beams. The external walls are timber framed panels with an inner insulation, between two plywood slabs, in wood fiber and an outside insulation in cork. The building system is dry. With this constructive solution it has been possible to build an envelope with excellent performances in summer and in winter. The wall thermal transmittance is 0,22 W/m2K the roof thermal transmittance is 0,21 W/m2K. The main characteristic is the integration between the building and the alternative systems to produce energy from renewable sources: the sunspace, the solar panels, the photovoltaic panels, the geothermal system and the pellets boiler. The home automation manages all the plants of the building to ensure at same time the comfort and the low energy consumption. The sunspace is a passive solar system, used mainly to heat the indoor spaces in the winter season. The cooling system of the building is based on natural ventilation strategies and on the heating pumps using the geothermal system. The building is equipped with shading systems. The smart system has been included as tool to guarantee the users’ safety and security. With smart systems it is possible to have, as well by remote position, a constant security control of the building