Research. Areas. Smart buildings.

We are studing identification, monitoring and control tools that can provide to improve energy efficiency in buildings and greenhouses due to the steadily increasing prices of energy resources and environmental concerns about climate changes.

In particular we are interested in a-posteriori evaluation of the thermal efficiency of a building, i.e. energy labelling based on experimental data; in thermal monitoring and comfort control systems especially in large buildings; in energy saving quantification after remodeling and energy-specific retrofitting of existing buildings; and in automatic fault-detection, monitoring an control of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Particularly useful in this context is the adoption of Wireless Sensor and Actuators Networks (WSANs), which provide easy installation and maintenance. The main focus of the project is on the experimental aspects of the applications and the application of advanced control tools like adaptive estimation and model predictive control.