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Applied Sciences
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Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings
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Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Thermal Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2025) | Viewed by 5631

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Enrique Ángel Rodríguez Jara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Máquinas y Motores Térmicos, University of Cádiz, Av. Universidad de Cádiz 10, Puerto Real, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Interests: indoor and outdoor thermal comfort; energy efficiency in buildings; energy consumption in buildings; outdoor environment; thermal modelling and simulation of buildings; thermal modelling and simulation of urban microclimate; heating; ventilation; air conditioning (HVAC) systems; renewable energy
Dr. Álvaro Ruíz-Pardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Máquinas y Motores Térmicos, University of Cádiz, Av. Universidad de Cádiz 10, Puerto Real, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Interests: phase change materials; thermal simulation; energy efficiency in buildings; engineering thermodynamics heat; energy conversion; ventilation; heating ventilation and air-conditioning; solar energy; solar cooling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy consumption in buildings is obviously linked to thermal comfort. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are the greatest energy consumers in buildings since they aim to maintain the indoor thermal comfort of occupants, bringing the indoor environment conditions within the tolerance range of the human body.

Balancing thermal comfort and energy consumption involves designing buildings with envelope solutions suited to the building-located climate, the use of high-efficiency HVAC systems in conjunction with appropriate control strategies, as well as the implementation of passive heating and cooling techniques and the use of renewable energy sources and smart building technologies. The process aimed at well-designed buildings should include an analysis of thermal comfort based on an adaptative approach, in contrast to the rational indices extracted from heat balance in the human body, since occupants can adapt to their thermal environment and have the opportunity to control it. Solutions of building envelope, systems and control, taking into account thermal comfort from an adaptative point of view, lead to lower energy consumption and therefore a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In this sense, the European Union has proposed to move from the current nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) to zero-emission buildings (ZEBs) by 2030, establishing an energy efficiency requirement for new buildings as a means to comply with the longer-term climate neutrality goal.

This Special Issue focuses on the latest research in the development of innovative materials and technologies for building envelope solutions to reduce energy needs, the optimization of thermal systems and their control, and new adaptative thermal comfort developments and models that minimize the energy consumption in buildings, promoting sustainability and reducing environmental impact.

Dr. Enrique Ángel Rodríguez Jara
Dr. Álvaro Ruíz-Pardo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermal comfort
  • adaptative thermal comfort
  • energy efficiency in buildings
  • nearly zero energy building (NZEB)
  • zero-emission buildings (ZEBs)
  • renewable energy systems
  • smart buildings
  • thermal performance of buildings
  • passive buildings
  • building envelope and system optimization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 2201 KB  
Article
Energy Performance and Thermal Comfort in Madrid School Buildings Under Climate Change Scenarios
by Violeta Rodríguez-González and María del Mar Barbero-Barrera
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(18), 9980; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15189980 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 761
Abstract
This study presents a detailed analysis of the energy performance and thermal comfort conditions in four existing school buildings located in Madrid, Spain. Dynamic simulations were conducted using TeKton3D—(iMventa Ingenieros, Málaga, Spain)- an open-source tool based on the EnergyPlus engine—to model four improvement [...] Read more.
This study presents a detailed analysis of the energy performance and thermal comfort conditions in four existing school buildings located in Madrid, Spain. Dynamic simulations were conducted using TeKton3D—(iMventa Ingenieros, Málaga, Spain)- an open-source tool based on the EnergyPlus engine—to model four improvement scenarios: (I) current state, (II) envelope retrofitting with ETICS and high-performance glazing, (III) solar control strategies, and (IV) incorporation of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Each building was simulated under both current and projected 2050 climate conditions. The case studies were selected to represent different construction periods and urban contexts, including varying levels of exposure to the urban heat island effect. This approach allows the results to reflect the diversity of the existing school building stock and its different vulnerabilities to climate change. The results show that envelope retrofitting substantially reduces heating demand but may increase cooling needs, particularly under warmer future conditions. Solar control strategies effectively mitigate overheating, while mechanical ventilation with heat recovery contributes to improved comfort and overall efficiency. This study highlights the trade-offs between energy savings and indoor environmental quality, underlining the importance of integrated renovation measures. The study provides relevant data for decision-making in climate-resilient building renovation, aligned with EU goals for nearly zero and zero-emission buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings)
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20 pages, 2422 KB  
Article
Design and Performance of a Large-Diameter Earth–Air Heat Exchanger Used for Standalone Office-Room Cooling
by Rogério Duarte, António Moret Rodrigues, Fernando Pimentel and Maria da Glória Gomes
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(14), 7938; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147938 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 708
Abstract
Earth–air heat exchangers (EAHXs) use the soil’s thermal capacity to dampen the amplitude of outdoor air temperature oscillations. This effect can be used in hot and dry climates for room cooling with no or very little need for resources other than those used [...] Read more.
Earth–air heat exchangers (EAHXs) use the soil’s thermal capacity to dampen the amplitude of outdoor air temperature oscillations. This effect can be used in hot and dry climates for room cooling with no or very little need for resources other than those used during the EAHX construction, an obvious advantage compared to the significant operational costs of refrigeration machines. Contrary to the streamlined process applied in conventional HVAC design (using refrigeration machines), EAHX design lacks straightforward and well-established rules; moreover, EAHXs struggle to achieve office room design cooling demands determined with conventional indoor thermal environment standards, hindering designers’ confidence and the wider adoption of EAHXs for standalone room cooling. This paper presents a graph-based method to assist in the design of a large-diameter EAHX. One year of post-occupancy monitoring data are used to evaluate this method and to investigate the performance of a large-diameter EAHX with up to 16,000 m3/h design airflow rate. Considering an adaptive standard for thermal comfort, peak EAHX cooling capacity of 28 kW (330 kWh/day, with just 50 kWh/day of fan electricity consumption) and office room load extraction of up to 22 kW (49 W/m2) provided evidence in support of standalone use of EAHX for room cooling. A fair fit between actual EAHX thermal performance and results obtained with the graph-based design method support the use of this method for large-diameter EAHX design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings)
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20 pages, 3036 KB  
Article
Simulation of Building Energy Consumption for Different Design Features of Window Elements: Case Study in a Hot Climate Region
by Francisco Espino-González, María Eugenia Armas-Cabrera, Fernando Montesdeoca-Martínez and Sergio Velázquez-Medina
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3694; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073694 - 27 Mar 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1350
Abstract
Energy consumption in buildings plays a significant role in the global energy demand. The European Union has promoted different regulatory directives in the framework of energy efficiency to develop the construction of buildings with nearly zero energy consumption. The main objective of this [...] Read more.
Energy consumption in buildings plays a significant role in the global energy demand. The European Union has promoted different regulatory directives in the framework of energy efficiency to develop the construction of buildings with nearly zero energy consumption. The main objective of this paper is to simulate how the design characteristics of different factors of the window elements of buildings (frame, glass, and shading systems) located in a hot climate region affect their cooling primary energy consumption. For this purpose, a comparative analysis is carried out with multiple simulations of different types of single-family residential dwellings using the EnergyPlus energy model. From the results obtained, it can be deduced that, compared to the standard design configuration, the primary energy consumption for cooling of the buildings studied can be reduced by up to 12.7% and 29.5% by modifying the design characteristics of the frame–glass assembly or the shading system of the window openings, respectively. The conclusions drawn from this study can serve as a reference in normative and regulatory documents affecting the building sector for the establishment of minimum requirements for certain characteristics of the constructive design of buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings)
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17 pages, 2830 KB  
Article
Integration of the Adaptive Approach in HVAC System Operation: A Case Study
by Pablo Aparicio-Ruiz, J. C. Ragel-Bonilla, Elena Barbadilla-Martín and José Guadix
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031243 - 25 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1929
Abstract
Although different investigations have been carried out on the analysis of adaptive thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings, fewer have focused on mixed mode operation. Moreover, there is limited research as for the implementation of adaptive comfort models into the control system of [...] Read more.
Although different investigations have been carried out on the analysis of adaptive thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings, fewer have focused on mixed mode operation. Moreover, there is limited research as for the implementation of adaptive comfort models into the control system of buildings. Therefore, this paper investigates how the application of a setpoint based on adaptive comfort control (ACC) would affect occupants’ comfort considering mixed mode operation and based on the results of a longitudinal field study in an academic office building of a tertiary educational institution in southern Spain. The manuscript analyses the Thermal Preference Vote over 12 months in a mixed mode room with an HVAC system whose setpoint is adjusted with a previously calculated adaptive algorithm for the building. For that, a thorough analysis was conducted in which users identified situations regarding thermal comfort and the operation of the conditioning system was collected. The results indicate that it is possible to develop adaptive comfort models that ensure the thermal well-being of occupants. Moreover, this study highlights the need for further research to assess the implications of ACC in terms of comfort and energy consumption as well as addressing the future improvements and the limitations of the work carried out. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption in Buildings)
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