Towards Zero Energy Buildings in Albania: a Pilot Case Study

Since its introduction in 2010, the nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) concept has known a large diffusion in EU countries. Unlike the European Union, Albania (as a potential candidate) is paving the way towards its introduction by transposing EU directives in the fields of energy efficiency into its national legislation. The paper presents the outcomes of the bilateral research between ITC-CNR (Italy) and Polis University (Albania), focused on the identification of retrofit solutions leading to a best practice level of nZEB in Albania, by relying on locally available and affordable technical solutions. The pilot case study is the "Kolë Jakova" school, located in the municipality of Tirana, a diffused typology during Socialism. In this perspective, the article deals with the following tasks: a) assessment of the actual building's performance; b) identification of target performance and suitable intervention actions; and c) assessment of the refurbished building's performance.