Work is under way on the energy upgrading of a social housing building in the Apulian municipality of Margherita di Savoia, chosen as an Italian pilot project thanks to the European REHOUSE Project in which ENEA, University of Basilicata, Rina Consulting, TERA, Steel tech, R.I., Pedone Working, SUPSI and Sunage are participating in Italy. "The main goal of the project is to develop and apply eight different innovative and promising technologies in four pilot buildings in Greece, Italy, Hungary and France. Each case study represents a type of building (social housing and student dormitories) in a specific climate area, with different peculiarities and different types of inhabitants. But the big challenge will be to guide tenants in the acceptance of innovative technologies and to pave the way for a real cultural change in the use of energy, through a people-centered approach," stresses Monica Misceo of the Projects and Best Practices Laboratory for the Energy Upgrading of Buildings and Project Manager for ENEA. "This is an innovative experiment," Misceo continues, "which combines technology and social cooperation for the first time: in fact, we shared every part of the energy efficiency project with the tenants from the very beginning, who were also able to gain greater awareness of the proper use of energy and better management of the facilities. The renovations will help reduce the pilot building's energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but they will also improve the living comfort and living conditions of the tenants. As for the building in Apulia, activities will involve structural consolidation of two internal pillars, a centralized hot water production and cooling system, replacement of window frames, the creation of an envelope incorporating natural hemp-based insulating materials, and a photovoltaic facade (which will allow 16,000 kW/year of electricity production from renewable sources and ensure good thermal insulation). In addition, a street art project and redevelopment of outdoor spaces are planned to encourage moments of aggregation and social cohesion in the neighborhood.
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