In Italy, energy consumption in the residential sector has increased by 1% annually since 2000. Therefore, the energy efficiency of buildings needs to be improved by using various solutions, such as advanced design of the building-plant envelope, adequate on-site renewable energy generation, and energy storage technologies, to reduce the demand for energy from the grid. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are urban districts that implement all these solutions to achieve a positive energy balance and are thus considered the ideal strategy to meet the performance requirements outlined in the EPBD (Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings).

The work carried out aims to assess the cost-effectiveness and impact of policies and infrastructure measures that could be implemented to improve the efficiency of individual buildings and the entire district under consideration. The methodology developed involves three main phases:

1) definition of KPIs (energy, environmental, social, and economic) applicable to PEDs,

2) simulation of an urban district through Building Information Modeling (BIM), and

3) comparison of KPIs before and after the application of measures.

The district under analysis is located in Milan near “Porta Romana,” covering an area of 190,000 sqm to be redeveloped by 2026. The decision was made to replicate the master plan of the “PARCO ROMANA” project, including several residential buildings (detached houses and condominiums), commercial buildings, a restaurant, and a hotel.

The entire district was replicated using the “Design Builder” software, and the following characteristics were simulated for each building:

1) energy consumption profiles and activities,

2) building materials, and

3) integration of renewable technology solutions, such as photovoltaics and concentrated solar power.

Finally, a multi-criteria cost-optimal analysis was conducted on a series of measures that can be applied to further improve the efficiency of the buildings to successfully model a PED.