Radiant floor heating in historical churches: a case study in Bassano del Grappa

Churches are a cultural heritage that has to be protected considering the works of art, such as frescos, tables, monuments, decorations as well as the building structures. The damages of the building structures and the works of art are caused not only by the age and by the climate change but also by the installation of heating plant systems that are not running properly. Works of art are usually kept in unsuitable ambient conditions, since it is not easy to produce and maintain optimal microclimate conditions which may preserve them. Although these problems have been addressed in several studies, there are still several open questions on the suitability of radiant systems to maintain uniform conditions and on the working strategies for reducing energy consumptions, preserving the cultural heritage and achieve comfort conditions for occupants. This work reports the results of the indoor monitoring carried out in the S. Francesco Church placed in Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza). The monitoring activity was carried out in both short and long terms after the renovation works. The new heating system consists of a hydronic radiant floor. The indoor conditions have been analyzed looking at the air temperature and humidity. The air stratification problem was also investigated. Finally, based on energy consumptions and on indoor measurements a dynamic model developed by the authors has been tuned and used for checking different possible control strategies.