Energy Flexibility and Sustainable Building Systems
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: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 12
Special Issue Editors
Interests: demand flexibility; building physics and HVAC design; building energy technologies; efficient building performance; sustainability design and assessment; solar thermal and PV; geothermal; energy storage systems; zero energy; and climate resilience planning and assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: heat transfer performance of building envelopes; thermal application of biomass energy; healthy indoor environment; sustainable architecture; diffusion mechanism of PM2.5
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As the global energy landscape evolves toward higher shares of renewable energy generation, the flexibility of building energy systems has become a critical enabler for sustainable, low-carbon energy networks. Buildings are no longer passive consumers; their capacity to adjust energy use in response to dynamic grid conditions, market signals, or renewable availability positions them at the forefront of energy system innovation. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advances and emerging research in energy flexibility, sustainable building technologies, and integrated control strategies, providing a platform for cutting-edge contributions that drive the field forward.
We welcome submissions that address the theory, modelling, and experimental demonstration of energy flexibility in buildings. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, advanced control strategies such as model predictive control, reinforcement learning, or rule-based methods; integration of storage, heat pumps, and renewable energy systems; quantification and standardisation of flexibility metrics; and evaluation of user acceptance, behavioural factors, and policy implications. Studies examining multi-building, district-, or community-level flexibility are also encouraged, as are contributions that explore novel opportunities for demand response, solar soaking, and smart energy management in residential, commercial, or industrial settings.
This Special Issue seeks to highlight innovative research that bridges the gap between conceptual frameworks and real-world implementation. We invite both experimental and simulation-based studies that demonstrate how flexibility can improve the consumption of renewables by individual buildings, reduce peak loads, enhance grid stability, and contribute to decarbonisation goals. Interdisciplinary approaches that combine engineering, data science, behavioural insights, and policy analysis are particularly encouraged, reflecting the multifaceted challenges of achieving energy-flexible, sustainable building systems.
By bringing together a diverse collection of research contributions, this Special Issue aims to advance knowledge, stimulate discussion, and accelerate the adoption of flexible, resilient, and energy-efficient buildings worldwide. We invite researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to submit their original research, reviews, or case studies that contribute to shaping the future of energy-flexible building systems.
Dr. Sheikh Khaleduzzaman Shah
Dr. Xueyan Zhang
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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
- energy flexibility
- sustainable buildings
- AI for building
- demand response
- renewable energy integration
- heat pumps and thermal storage
- smart energy management
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