Simeon Oxizidis

New Challenges in Covering Buildings’ Thermal Load

This chapter identifies the major features of the emerging heat-power nexus in the built environment and suggests the specific energy technologies that will most likely successfully address the new challenges in covering buildings’ thermal loads. These challenges are related in the supply side with the anticipated smart decarbonized grid, and in the demand side with the strict building performance regulations that require Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs). Heat pumps, solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics and combined heat and power and thermal energy storage (TES) display the energy performance characteristics that can allow buildings to fulfill the ZEB agenda and integrate seamlessly with the smart grid. In the temperate climates of the Mediterranean region, those particular building energy technologies, either for new buildings or retrofits, can increase the flexibility provided by buildings and offer demand response services. For this demand response potential to be significant in high-performance buildings, it needs to be augmented by energy storage technologies. However, to realize the holistic concept of the demand-responsive/smart-grid-ready building, advanced sensoring, controlling, and connectivity infrastructure is required.