Thermal Control and Heat Accounting: Economics Related to Service Time and Building Insulation

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the economic convenience derived from the installation of thermal control and heat accounting devices in building units served by central heating plants, except for cases of technical impossibility or not economic viability. A statistical analysis concerning the Italian residential building park has been carried out with reference to the service time and insulation level. Devices installation costs have been obtained from different regional price lists of the Italian territory. Taking as a reference a typical Italian housing unit, a cost-benefit analysis in terms of Net Present Value (NPV) indicator is carried out according to the UNI EN 15459 standard, considering the cash flows over a period of 30 years, as required by EU regulations. Results show that for buildings located in D, E and F climatic zones within the Italian territory there is no economic convenience if the number of using days per year is lower than a certain threshold which is considerably high in case of holyday houses. In terms of thermal building insulation, the present study shows an economic advantage in investing in thermoregulation and heat accounting devices for existing un-refurbished buildings; this consideration could not be extended to buildings already undergoing major renovation works.