Urban energy planning: a GIS-based model for the evaluation of buildings energy consumption and for the optimization of district heating networks

In Europe, among the major contributors to GHG emissions, buildings occupy a key place with high savings potential. Energy planning is an effective solution towards sustainability: instruments useful to understand how existing and planned policies influence the energy consumption are fundamental for decision makers. This paper describes a methodology able to asses, in a mid-long term, the buildings energy consumption of a municipality by means of a simulation approach and of a geo-referenced characterization of the stock. The tool is able to identify the success of different policy actions by the exploration of significant scenarios. Starting from consumption data, a model to evaluate heating demand is defined as different savings opportunities. Furthermore, from the geo-referenced representation of networks, through the integrated procedure, it is possible to perform the optimization of the district heating network layout. A case study application in Turin is presented. The result highlights the advantages of coupling a GIS application and an energy demand forecasting model to build up a tool aimed at supporting decision making. Main results are the evaluation of consumptions, total costs and the release of policy suggestions. Geo-referenced maps are the important second result, allowing to put in evidence criticalities and policy effects through thematic maps.