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A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2026) | Viewed by 6929

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Domenico Palladino

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Guest Editor

DUEE Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: building simulation; energy audit; building energy performance; CFD; artificial neural networks; thermal comfort; HVAC systems; energy analysis and forecasting
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Dr. Iole Nardi

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Guest Editor

DUEE Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: building physics; energy audit; HVAC; heat pump monitoring; building envelope; buildings energy performance; infrared thermography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The renovation of buildings, one of the older and energy-intensive sectors with about 37% of total energy consumption, pose a significant challenge worldwide to achieve sustainable development, to reduce natural resource consumption, and to mitigate climate change. In Europe, this issue has gained prominence due to ambitious targets for 2030 and 2050, aiming to achieve climate neutrality. Achieving these goals requires innovative approaches, with building simulation and modeling becoming essential tools for studying and implementing energy retrofit solutions.

This Special Issue focuses on exploring innovative approaches in building energy performance through models and simulations, aiming to showcase innovative technologies and tools that facilitate these objectives and comply with the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive IV (EPBD). Contributions are invited on a wide range of topics, including energy audits, energy model development, application of innovative tools and algorithms, impact of renewable energy sources, retrofitting measures, and HVAC systems. Additionally, studies on retrofitting historical buildings and integrating sustainable materials are welcome.

Researchers are encouraged to submit papers, short communications, and reviews demonstrating the capabilities of simulation tools and innovative solutions in building energy performance. Extended abstracts are also welcome for inquiries about relevance and covered topics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Domenico Palladino
Dr. Iole Nardi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Buildings 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 2600 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

building energy performance
smart retrofit solutions
predictive and building modeling
advanced building simulation tools
digital twin simulations
renewable energy integration
zero-emission buildings
historical building retrofitting
sustainable material integration

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2989 KB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Performance of Existing Italian Residential Buildings: Retrofitting Scenarios with Hybrid Solutions

by Domenico Palladino, Silvia Di Turi, Iole Nardi and Nicolandrea Calabrese

Buildings 2026, 16(9), 1812; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16091812 - 1 May 2026

Viewed by 336

Abstract

The decarbonization of existing buildings remains a major challenge, particularly in contexts characterized by high energy demand and heating systems based on fossil fuels. While electrification is widely recognized as a key pathway, its direct application is often limited by building and operating conditions. This study investigates the potential of hybrid heating systems as transitional solutions through a large-scale numerical parametric simulation analysis based on representative models of the Italian residential building stock. The analysis explores the interaction between climatic conditions, system operation, and energy performance under standardized assumptions. The results reveal that hybrid systems achieve significant reductions in non-renewable primary energy (up to 39–44%) and CO₂ emissions (approximately 50–58%), primarily through the substitution of natural gas with electricity. Conversely, total primary energy may increase (approximately 2–26%) due to the contribution of renewable energy associated with heat pump operation. Operating cost savings are observed in the 25–40% range, with slight variation depending on climatic conditions. The effectiveness is not uniform, with maximum benefits in intermediate climate zones and reduced performance under more severe conditions. Overall, hybrid systems show stable and reliable performance across heterogeneous building configurations, supporting their role as robust mid-term transition technologies toward building decarbonization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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19 pages, 1044 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Evaporative Cooling-Assisted Residential HVAC System Using Whole-Building Simulation

by Nelson Fumo, Xavier Martinez, Abel Euceda and Dylan Miller

Buildings 2026, 16(8), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16081630 - 21 Apr 2026

Viewed by 296

Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of evaporative cooling (EC)-assisted residential HVAC systems within the broader context of improving energy efficiency in U.S. housing. Using whole-building energy simulation in OpenStudio, a representative single-family house was analyzed across multiple climate zones under three configurations: (1) a baseline air-source heat pump, (2) EC applied at the outdoor air intake, and (3) EC applied at the heat pump inlet. Annual energy use, indoor temperature and humidity, thermal comfort (PMV), water consumption, and economic performance were assessed. Results indicate that system configuration exerts a stronger influence on performance than climate variability. Specifically, the EC at the heat pump inlet configuration reduced annual energy consumption by up to 5.1%, whereas the EC at the outdoor air intake configuration yielded negligible or inconsistent savings (generally within ±1%). The heat pump inlet EC configuration consistently reduced annual energy consumption and showed favorable economic performance in 10 of 16 climate zones, whereas outdoor air intake configuration yielded limited energy savings and was not economically viable. Indoor temperature control remained stable across all cases, while relative humidity increased with EC operation but remained within acceptable limits under appropriate control strategies. The findings indicate that EC integration can improve residential HVAC performance when properly configured, with system placement and humidity control being critical determinants of effectiveness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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31 pages, 3748 KB

Open AccessArticle

Synthetic Residential Building Energy-Consumption Dataset Generation Through Parametric Simulation for Hot–Arid Egypt

by Hossam Wefki, Emad Elbeltagi, Mohamed T. Elnabwy and Mohamed ElAgroudy

Buildings 2026, 16(5), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16050976 - 2 Mar 2026

Viewed by 608

Abstract

Buildings account for a substantial share of global energy demand, and decisions made during conceptual design strongly influence long-term operational consumption. This study presents an open, simulation-derived dataset to support early-stage estimation of residential energy use in a hot–arid context (New Cairo, Egypt). A parametric Rhino/Grasshopper workflow coupled with EnergyPlus was used to generate 12,000 annual simulations. The simulations were produced by systematically sampling key geometric, envelope, glazing, and operational variables, including building dimensions, orientation, window-to-wall ratio, envelope construction options, glazing properties, internal loads (lighting and equipment), and thermostat setpoints. For each case, annual end-use outputs (heating, cooling, lighting, and equipment energy) are reported alongside the corresponding input features, enabling design-space exploration, sensitivity analysis, and the development of surrogate and machine-learning models for rapid decision support. Verification checks and plausibility screening were applied to confirm successful simulation execution and consistent data extraction. In addition, dataset-level sampling diagnostics (marginal balance and correlation screening) are reported to support robust reuse in surrogate and machine-learning studies. The resulting dataset and documentation provide a reusable resource for researchers and practitioners investigating energy-informed residential design under hot-climate boundary conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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36 pages, 8618 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Model Integrating Theory and Simulation to Establish the Link Between Outdoor Microclimate and Building Heating Load in High-Altitude Cold Regions

by Jiaqin Han, Xing Li and Yingzi Zhang

Buildings 2026, 16(2), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020404 - 18 Jan 2026

Viewed by 641

Abstract

The heating load of residential buildings is closely related to the local microclimate. However, there is a lack of quantitative indicators for assessing the impact of the outdoor microclimate on building heating loads in Lhasa residential buildings. This study established an analytical relationship between surface temperature and building heating load through theoretical derivation. Simulations of the outdoor microclimate and building surface temperatures were conducted using Phoenics2019 and Ladybug1.8.0 tools. Statistical models were developed to correlate outdoor microclimate parameters with the surface temperatures of both transparent and opaque building envelopes. Ultimately, these individual models were integrated to form a comprehensive framework for directly calculating heating loads from microclimate data. The model validation results indicate that the Coefficient of Variation of the Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)) is 12.87%, which meets the ASHRAE Guideline 14 international standard requirement of ≤30% for hourly data. The Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) is –9.76%, also satisfying the ASHRAE Guideline 14 criterion of ±10% for hourly data. These results suggest that the model exhibits a minor underestimation, which is acceptable from an engineering perspective. The proposed model can provide a quantitative reference to a certain extent for the comprehensive evaluation of outdoor microclimate environmental performance in residential buildings in Lhasa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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16 pages, 9541 KB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Comfort Assessment for Simultaneous Operation of Cooling and an Energy Recovery Ventilator in a Residential Building During Summer

by Kyungmo Kang and Daeung Danny Kim

Buildings 2025, 15(4), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15040582 - 13 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1740

Abstract

After the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, residential buildings are equipped with an energy recovery ventilator for ventilation and building energy efficiency. During summer, it is required to operate both the ERV system and air conditioners to maintain thermal comfort as well as ensure indoor air quality. The ventilation efficiency of the ERV system can be varied by various layouts of the inlet and outlet vents. Moreover, cooling can be wasted through the exhaust of the ERV system. Considering this, the present study assessed thermal comfort by applying various layouts of the supply and exhaust of ERV systems with different supply air temperatures and air volumes of the air conditioners. Using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation, the ventilation and thermal performance with the PMV (predicted mean vote) were analyzed. As a result, the PMV was highly affected by the supply air temperature and ventilation flow rates of the air conditioners. While additional installations of the inlet or outlet vents showed improved ventilation performance, the PMV index presented “slightly cold” or “cold”. Considering energy saving, this proves that it can provide an opportunity to reduce cooling energy consumption through the intermittent operation mode of the air conditioners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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28 pages, 32859 KB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Performance-Oriented Multi-Objective Optimization of Spatial Form of High-Rise Residential Blocks in the Changsha Region

by Wenhao Huang, Fang Tian and Tengfei Huang

Buildings 2025, 15(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15010056 - 27 Dec 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2324

Abstract

Optimizing urban spatial form has become an important research topic for promoting urban sustainable development and improving energy efficiency. This study selects 164 high-rise residential blocks in the Changsha area as the research object and constructs three multi-objective optimization frameworks and mathematical models for the spatial form of high-rise residential blocks based on the Rhino and Grasshopper parametric platform. The TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method is combined to further screen the Pareto front solutions, and global sensitivity analysis of spatial form parameters is conducted using Simlab to explore the multi-objective optimization strategies for the spatial form of high-rise residential blocks in the Changsha area, guided by energy performance. Practical cases are selected for verification. The results show that, (1) after multi-objective optimization, the optimal scheme for the determinant type reduces EUI by 7.22%, increases PVP by 28.84%, and reduces CGR by 2.21%. The optimal scheme for the point-cluster type reduces EUI by 3.80%, increases PVP by 7.34%, and reduces CGR by 2.30%. The optimal scheme for the staggered type reduces EUI by 6.66%, increases PVP by 17.65%, and reduces CGR by 2.26%. (2) The potential order of spatial form optimization for the three types of high-rise residential blocks in the Changsha area is determinant type > staggered type > point-cluster type. (3) The spatial form parameters most sensitive to the three architectural performance goals of EUI, PVP, and CGR are floor area ratio and average number of floors. The research results will provide quantifiable references for scientific decision-making in the design practice of high-rise residential blocks in the Changsha area and even in regions with hot summers and cold winters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy Performance and Simulations)

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