Abstract
The selection of optimal Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) to renovate the existing building stock is imperative in order to achieve the European decarbonisation targets. In this context, climate conditions play a crucial role in optimization processes, which often rely on weather data that may not accurately represent all mountain regions. In particular, Alpine regions, characterized by deep and narrow valleys, exhibit significant environmental variability. This study explores the impact of incorporating the orographic context of Alpine regions into the optimization of EEMs. Specifically, it examines the influence of surrounding terrain as a radiation obstacle, using the municipality of Brixen-Bressanone, Italy, as a case-study. The optimisation process is applied to a reference building representative of the regional residential stock, assessing EEMs with and without consideration of the surrounding environment. The findings indicate that the Alpine context has a twofold impact on building energy demand. While its influence on heating demand is minimal, the orographic context significantly affects cooling demand. Given that local current energy efficiency regulations primarily focus on the former one, the effects of the surrounding terrain on optimal EEMs remain limited. However, considering the impact of climate change and the growing increase of summer temperatures also in the Italian mountain regions, future inclusion of space cooling performance requirements could lead to different sets of optimal solutions.