Design and testing of I-ZEB, a zero energy laboratory for the integrated evaluation of the performance of building components and HVAC systems

The scientific community, along with the worldwide governments, debate about the performances of buildings for decades and today the subject is still of topical interest. The recent regulatory framework requires increasingly high energy-efficient buildings in order to reduce the overall impact of building sector and to improve the user's well-being. Several stakeholders are called upon to contribute to this end. The collaboration between the professional, industrial and scientific sectors is an engine of this challenge. Following this path, the Construction Technologies Institute (ITC) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) has recently developed a zero energy laboratory with the aim of creating the best platform where companies of the building sector and research bodies can share their expertise for the development and the test of products and systems to reach the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) standard. The paper focuses on the design and testing phases of the laboratory. High performance envelope, efficient HVAC and renewable energy systems are the technical pillars of the laboratory. Several characterization tests have been carried out in order to choose the most suitable technical solutions. The integrated solutions (products and systems) are tested through a continuous monitoring: energy and the Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) variables measurements are performed.