Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) substantially alter local climates, yet their impacts on building energy performance remain inconsistently quantified and poorly integrated into simulation workflows, energy codes, and planning practice. This review critically synthesizes U.S.-based studies that model the impacts of the UHI effect on building heating and cooling loads, revealing substantial variability in

Chillers account for the majority of energy consumption in central air-conditioning refrigeration stations. However, conventional models lack strong out-of-sample generalization, making it difficult to accurately reflect chiller performance variations under multiple operating conditions. Consequently, there is a lack of reliable multi-condition performance data to support energy-efficient regulation

Semantic digital twinning has traditionally supported design coordination, documentation, and planning during the early stages of building projects. However, its application in building operation and maintenance—particularly in real time—remains limited. This study proposes a methodology for cost-optimal HVAC load management using an operational digital twin, and demonstrates its real-time application

Concrete is widely used in infrastructure, and its waste heat recovery for thermoelectric power generation holds remarkable potential for energy utilization. However, optimizing the thermal conductivity of concrete to enhance thermoelectric conversion efficiency remains a critical challenge. This study investigates C40 concrete modified with bamboo fibers and fly ash, evaluating the thermal conductivity

Urban heat island (UHI) has been one of the most prominent results of anthropogenic related land use change. To achieve accurate and computationally efficient spatiotemporal mapping of air temperature and UHI under typical climate conditions, in this study, a reference weather station-based framework is presented for high-resolution and representative urban temperature mapping in a cost-effective and

The 2024 F-GAS Regulation mandates the phase-out of fluorinated gases across multiple sectors, promoting the adoption of natural refrigerants like propane, which pose flammability risks. Simultaneously, the 2024 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduces stricter requirements for building thermophysical parameters, potentially reducing heating and cooling peak loads. Together, these

Achieving net-zero emissions in residential heating requires sustainable alternatives to gas-powered systems and effective use of existing gas infrastructure. This study introduces ice-source heat pumps, leveraging the latent heat of fusion for efficient heating combined with innovative water transmission methods.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has long been a significant concern due to its health-related risks and potential benefits. Readily available air quality sensors are now affordable and have been installed in many buildings with public buildings taking center stage. The dynamics of IAQ are commonly studied in relation to different materials used in construction, building design, room utility and effects on

Urbanization poses significant challenges, including strain on infrastructure, environmental degradation from increased resource consumption and pollution, and climatic impacts like the urban heat island phenomenon, which contributes to elevated city temperatures. Urban greenery effectively reduces urban heat stress; however, space constraints often limit implementation. This study uses experimental

The technological advancement of innovative electrochromic (EC) technologies is fuelling the spread of new devices characterized by different thermo-optical properties. This wide range of possibilities poses new questions regarding optimal EC properties to be considered in different contexts. This study aims to investigate the influence of different locations and the effects of climate change on the

The search for new technologies to reduce building cooling load is crucial for reducing building energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, a novel cascaded flexible phase change material composed of paraffin, styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene block copolymer and polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene was successfully prepared by solvent mixing. The novel material has self-healing

The near universal approach to rating the energy efficiency of dwellings is to predict energy demand using standardised models, in the UK the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). Smart meter data offers the possibility of rating dwellings based on their actual, operational energy demand.

Extreme weather events, such as heat and cold waves, often result in power outages that disrupt indoor thermal environments, significantly impacting occupants’ physical and mental well-being. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance Building Energy Resilience (BER) for maintaining indoor thermal stability. This study provides a comprehensive review and critical analysis of recent research focused on improving

Prefabricated buildings are regarded as effective for saving energy and reducing emissions. Additionally, building envelopes possess significant potential for energy conservation and emission reduction, influenced by various factors. However, these factors affecting energy saving and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction in prefabricated building envelope design are not systematically identified

This study presents an innovative approach to develop an integrated solar-biomass energy system which is essentially designed to simultaneously generate electricity, heat, hydrogen, and propane by addressing all of the possible energy demands of buildings. The system uses solar energy through a steam Rankine cycle and utilizes biomass pyrolysis to maximize efficiency and sustainability, with biochar

With increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves and droughts, the building sector need to develop solutions to ensure summer comfort and water management. This paper presents a concept of hybrid geothermal rainwater tanks. It consists of a buried rainwater tank and an immersed coiled heat exchanger that harvests shallow geothermal energy. It is a solution for passive cooling of buildings and water

Decarbonizing the residential sector is vital for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving energy efficiency through house insulation offers substantial opportunities to cut energy use and emissions. This study examines the willingness of Central Asian households to insulate their homes and the factors influencing this decision, using data from the 2023 Household Access to Energy in the Fergana

The paper describes various methods for determining the sensible thermal effectiveness of rotary regenerative heat exchangers. These include standard methods using ε − NTU correlations, advanced simulation models using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental methods. The paper focuses on heat exchangers designed for HVAC systems (typically C* = 1). A total of 7 different heat wheel geometries

Heating and cooling of buildings account for around 15% of all global energy consumption. In light of the ongoing energy transition, we aim to improve the efficiency of both in a European single-family house by using photovoltaic-thermal collectors with a reversible heat pump for nocturnal radiative cooling, solar-assisted heating and domestic hot water generation. Two data-driven model predictive

In response to volatile electricity markets and recent record increases in district heating prices in Sweden, smart control strategies for heating systems have become cost-effective solutions to reduce energy costs. By shifting electricity use for space heating and domestic hot water (DHW) to hours with lower prices, significant savings can be achieved. Historically, district heating has been a low-cost

Smart buildings have developed significantly over the past four decades, leading to their greater adoption in developed countries. However, several challenges to their adoption persist, especially in developing countries. In Algeria, the concept “smart buildings” remains relatively new. Therefore, building professionals often find themselves hampered by numerous challenges when attempting to adopt

To fully exploit natural ventilation (NV) as an energy-saving strategy in mixed-mode buildings, accurate real-time prediction of NV airflow rates is essential. Current approaches for NV airflow rates prediction often rely heavily on expertise knowledge and computationally demanding methods such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as well as expensive and complex direct airflow measurements. These

The current trend in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is undergoing digitalisation rapidly, meeting the requirements of sustainability while increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving decision-making. This transformation is based on the connection between the physical environment and the virtual digital systems. However, Digital Twins (DTs) can represent this

Calculating operational carbon emissions through a building’s lifecycle is complex due to the dynamic nature of influencing factors such as climate and energy grid mix. This paper introduces a novel methodology for modeling 30-year operational carbon impacts of buildings and applies this method to mid-rise office and residential typologies across various US climate zones. The method accounts for these

With the accelerated global urbanization process and the growing demand for renewable energy, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) technology has emerged as a critical pathway for achieving low-carbon building goals, with increasing research and application value. This study designed and developed a novel semi-transparent photovoltaic glazing (STPV) integrated with a passive cooling film, employing

The energy efficiency of data centers is intensively related to the airflow organization. Rapid prediction of airflow organization can effectively improve the design efficiency of data centers. In this work, the airflow distribution and thermal environment of a large data center are first investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Then, we propose a feature-integrated machine learning

Previous studies have explored the effectiveness of highly reflective materials in reducing anthropogenic heat release from buildings; however, the role of building coverage ratio (BCR) has been less examined, particularly for buildings with reflective coatings under both current and future weather scenarios. This study investigates the impact of BCR (while reducing BCR up to 50 %) on heat release

The design of HVAC systems requires correct estimation of both sensible and latent heat gains from occupants in order to assess cooling loads. Children differ significantly from adults in their heat production and thermoregulation in part due to variations in body mass, height, and sweat gland development, resulting in a unique sensible heat ratio for children. Though in spaces such as school classrooms

Few kitchen studies on air quality have addressed the characteristics of elderly kitchens and the physical conditions of elderly users. This study aims to reduce pollutant build-up in elderly kitchens through a cooperation design integrating cooker hood and baffle, combining active and passive approaches for elderly users with various physical conditions. Fourteen scenarios were analysed to find the

With the continuous growth of global energy demand and accelerating urbanization, urban building energy systems are becoming increasingly complex and diverse. To achieve energy efficiency and carbon reduction goals, modelling the coupling and conversion of multiple energy forms—such as cooling, heating, and electricity—has emerged as a key research focus. This review summarizes the prevailing modelling

Achieving a climate-neutral European Union requires overcoming challenges in Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) renovations, including labour shortages and time-intensive traditional methods. Industrialised façade systems offer a promising solution, but their life-cycle impacts remain insufficiently studied.

An accurate model for a building’s HVAC system plays an essential role in providing thermal comfort for the building while maintaining efficiency. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence, along with the development of tools in various programming languages and platforms, enable researchers to quickly implement these technologies to tackle challenges across different engineering fields. For building

The integration of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation systems with domestic electric water heaters (DEWH) and battery energy storage presents a promising opportunity for reducing energy costs and enhancing the self-consumption of PV generation. This study undertakes a comprehensive case study across Australia and investigates the potential financial cost savings and self-consumption of PV generation

Rooftop agrivoltaics (RAV) can effectively mitigate climate change by addressing the high carbon emissions from long-distance transportation in urban food supply chains through the deployment of agrivoltaic systems on urban rooftops. However, the specific potential of RAV to promote urban sustainability remains unknown. Therefore, research employing the widely used sustainability indicator of the ecological

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with lighting systems, are flexible resources in buildings suitable for demand response. The electrical power adjustment of the lighting system directly impacts the heat dissipation, which indirectly affects the load and power consumption of the HVAC system. Therefore, when both systems are involved in demand response simultaneously,

The paper develops a multivariable extremum seeking control based on decreasing perturbation signal for multivariable dynamical systems, to speed up convergence and improve the control precision of extremum seeking (ES) and apply to self-optimization operation of illumination system. The framework of the developed ES is proposed to make the amplitudes of the perturbation signals vary with the estimated

Passive daylighting utilises natural light to positively impact human health and significantly reduce cooling loads in buildings. This study focuses on the design, modelling and analysis of passive daylighting collector comprising diverging Fresnel lens integrated with segmented array of six reflective cascaded mirrors, which enhanced light collection and improved spatial uniformity. Optical simulations

Promoting clean heating in rural households is crucial for advancing residential energy transitions and enhancing energy efficiency in rural buildings. However, existing research primarily focuses on the net effects of individual drivers, often overlooking the combined effects of policy contexts and cognitive factors. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Construal Level Theory, this study examines

Nowadays, the sharing of energy production within Energy Communities is promoting the diffusion of a decentralized energy system where renewable generation can be locally self-consumed by its members. The maximization of the matching between generation and demand is then crucial to ensure higher economic and environmental benefits for residential end-users joining Energy Communities. In this view,

Demand response (DR) serves as the primary avenue through which building air-conditioning (AC) flexible resources engage in power grid regulation. Considering a dynamic outdoor environment and the constraints of indoor comfort and system mechanical limits, specifying the response accuracy and flexibility potential of the system in the actual response process is beneficial to enhance the response effect

Buildings consume a large portion of global energy and contribute significantly to CO2 emissions, with HVAC systems being major energy users. Improving HVAC efficiency is crucial for sustainability and climate goals. Model Predictive Control (MPC) has shown promise in optimizing HVAC operations, enhancing energy savings while maintaining comfort. However, full-scale implementation of MPC in real-world

Photobioreactors (PBRs) offer to reduce energy consumption, enhance thermal and visual comfort, capture carbon, and generate energy in buildings. Despite their potential, PBRs remain under development and face theoretical and practical challenges. Theoretical issues include the inherent characteristics of PBR elements, complicating their simulation by building professionals. Practical challenges involve

The centralized heating system (CH) effectively addresses low temperature issues but is limited by fixed operating hours, reduced flexibility, and energy waste during the heating period. This paper introduces a centralized-decentralized two-stage (CD-TSH), room-based, time-scheduled heating model. Using DeST software, it compares the heating load and energy consumption across different family schedules

Reducing energy use within the building sector is vital to create sustainable cities and mitigate global warming. Urban building energy modelling (UBEM) is useful to evaluate energy demand and renovation potential in districts. In this paper, an archetypes-based calibration approach for UBEM is introduced to evaluate the effect of various timescales for energy data and detail of building-related data

Architectural windows introduce natural light and color into indoor spaces, impacting users’ evaluations of interior environments and their physical and mental responses. Quantitative research to find better solutions for inner space is crucial for its implications in physiology and architecture. This study engaged 30 volunteers to evaluate the impact of window dimensions and interior colors within

The present study investigated outdoor thermal comfort conditions in the city of Erzurum, Turkiye, which is located in a cold climate zone (Dfb). A one-year field survey was conducted in various locations throughout the city, taking into consideration seasonal variations and pedestrian flow. A total of 2632 valid questionnaires were collected. For each participant, the Physiological Equivalent Temperature

The residential building sector accounts for over 40 % of global energy demand and more than 35 % of CO2 emissions. While energy performance certificates (EPC) are widely used to assess building efficiency, they lack clarity in communicating real energy and environmental impacts. This paper introduces the Energy Environmental Matrix (EEM), a novel three-dimensional method that simultaneously considers

Building energy system integrating solar energy as a new form of sustainable energy use, reduces energy consumption and provides great flexibility for energy saving and emission reduction; however, the stochasticity and fluctuation of solar energy supply makes it difficult to utilize efficiently and reduce the economy of building energy system. Optimal scheduling can fully coordinate the output of

Residential and commercial buildings account for 40 % of the nation’s energy consumption and are responsible for 35 % of total carbon emissions. To reduce energy consumption, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis of the design parameters that affect the energy performance of building is essential. For commercial buildings, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prototype office buildings serve as standardized

This research investigates the spatial variability of heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD) to advance climate zoning across North Africa. Using 30 years of high-resolution meteorological data (1989–2019) from 108 weather stations in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara, HDD and CDD values were calculated for six base temperatures (HDD: 12 °C–22 °C; CDD: 18 °C–28 °C)

Recently, green walls have increasingly been incorporated into building designs. They present a sustainable solution for both new constructions and retrofitting of existing buildings by reducing cooling energy requirements and enhancing overall thermal performance. However, there is limited information on the impact of living wall systems on building environments and their thermal performance in oceanic

Outdoor winter running presents challenges of hypothermia and overheating, necessitating the clothing with thermoregulation. This study evaluated the thermal-moisture comfort of four winter running apparel ensembles using a thermal manikin and introduced the Clothing Thermal Sensation Index (CTSI) for assessing environmental adaptability (EA). Results showed increased thermal insulation with greater

The implementation of fault detection in research articles is relatively sparse, yet it holds significant potential to contribute to the decarbonization of our building stock. This study proposes a Fault Detection (FD) methodology that can be split into three stages. 1) FD algorithm development, testing, and validation on known datasets. 2) platform creation, data collection and curation, and method

The increase of renewable energy in the built environment, together with the intermittent nature of these sources, cause energy mismatch problems between on-site energy generation and demand. This increased interest in Energy-Flexibility (EF) measures in residential buildings. This study provides an in-depth analysis for evaluating the performance regret of investment opportunities in residential EF-measures

Architectural design is crucial for enhancing the energy performance as well as achieving thermal comfort in a hospital building, requiring a focus on climate as a key design criterion. Daylighting plays a vital role in hospital design, influencing both energy performance and comfort. The research investigates the impact of courtyard building form variants on daylighting and aims to identify the most

The variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system is extensively utilized in commercial and residential buildings due to its capacity to provide individualized and flexible thermal control, alongside ease of installation. However, with prolonged use, VRF systems inevitably encounter various soft faults, among which heat exchangers fouling (Foul) and improper refrigerant charges (RefU and RefO) are the most

Soft faults in VRF systems are difficult to detect, often resulting in air conditioning systems operating in a “sick operation” state, which leads to significant energy waste. This study aims to develop a cross-unit soft fault diagnosis method for VRF systems based on deep transfer learning, addressing limitations in handling cross-condition and cross-unit scenarios. Two distinct transfer learning

The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system optimization process needs to focus on both the comfort of the indoor environment and the energy consumption. In large office buildings, there are differently oriented thermal zones, connected thermal zones and multiple air handling unit systems. It becomes particularly difficult to develop control strategies that take into account the associated

Achieving net-zero energy targets is closely linked to the optimisation of building-related activities, given their significant share in global energy consumption (approximately 40%) and greenhouse gas emissions (around 33%). The substantial energy demands of active systems, such as energy recovery ventilation systems for heating and cooling, have increasingly directed research efforts towards the