Building Integration of a PV/T system in an Energy Efficient Prefabricated Housing Unit: Active and Passive Behaviour and a Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Nowadays, energy consumption in the building sector in Europe accounts for 40% of the primary energy needs, being responsible for a significant amount of GHG emissions. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the energy performance of buildings, alongside the utilization of alternative energy sources. On the other hand, the last decade’s financial crisis had an impact on the housing market, resulting housing prefabrication to emerge as a cost and energy-saving solution, which can also be linked to the reduction of environmental impacts as well as to the development of green construction practices. This paper aims to examine the integration of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar system in an energy efficient, environmentally friendly and technologically advanced, prefabricated housing unit. The study focuses on the energy production potential of the active solar system, in relation to the energy requirements of the housing unit, before and after the system’s integration. A dynamic simulation analysis, conducted in the TRNSYS environment, is developed for the energy and economic assessment of the proposed unit. A life cycle cost (LCC) analysis is also performed, in order to determine the viability of the enterprise. The results of the energy simulations and the life cycle cost analysis of the system are intended to demonstrate the impact of the system’s integration on the prefabricated building unit. The originality of the research performed lies on the fact that it offers a novel solution for building integration with the creation of a “plug n’ play” building integrated hybrid solar system for use mostly on prefabricated structures, whilst the LCC comes to cross-check its viability, in terms of real-life applications.