Technical-economic and financial feasibility of new technologies in the energy refurbishment of residential buildings

The revision of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) provides for the construction of zero-emission buildings. The present work investigates possible solutions aimed at phasing out fossil fuel systems in buildings, in accordance with the EPBD requirements. An insulated residential building located in Rome is presented. The proposed refurbishment approach is based on the heating system replacement (heat pump, hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen-ready boiler), and the use of renewable energy produced by a photovoltaic system. The results show that, although the energy optimal solution consists of the replacement of the heat plant with a heat pump coupled to both a PV and a fuel cell system, from the economic-financial point of view the proven solution of heat pump coupled with PV is still the only feasible one.