Thermal comfort and energy consumption in prisons: the case of an Italian historical building

In the context of energy refurbishment of the existing building stock, there is a group of buildings that is poorly investigated, even if it has a very low energetic quality: detention facilities. Imprisonment, as a limitation of freedom, significantly affects inmates' psychological and social well-being and the physical well-being of people. Overcrowding, low-energy performance buildings, poor ventilation, and sometimes the absence of solar shading contribute to extreme temperatures, and inadequate microclimatic conditions, particularly in the summer season, leading to stress and exacerbating health risks and discomfort. This study investigates a female correctional facility located in southern Italy, Mediterranean climate. The adopted approach couples building energy simulation and computational fluid-dynamics simulations, showing the inadequate indoor environmental conditions and the high energy demands of the correctional building. A focus was made on the summer indoor microclimatic conditions in the jails, by evidencing high temperatures and scarce ventilation. An energy refurbishment of the building involving the replacement of the existing heating system with a more efficient one that can provide both heating and cooling in all the indoor environments of the prison. The intervention determines a reduction of 6% in the primary energy demand. The investigation underlines the necessary intervention of the Institutions in this group of buildings, being a property of the public hand, often forgotten.