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Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition
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Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition

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 May 2026 | Viewed by 11880

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yaolin Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: AI and HVAC control optimization; energy-efficient and healthy building design; carbon neutrality; zero-energy buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
Interests: thermal comfort; building energy management; sustainable building energy efficiency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the open-access journal Buildings is dedicated to “Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition”. Buildings consume about 40% of global energy, and the building sector thus plays a key role in achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The development of various building energy-saving technologies for building envelopes, mechanical systems, and energy resources can assist in achieving zero or even net-zero energy buildings, while maintaining comfort and a healthy indoor environment.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest state of the art advancements and trends in advanced building energy-saving technologies. Original experimental studies, numerical simulations, and reviews on all aspects of building energy utilization, management, and optimization are especially encouraged.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • High-performance building envelope;
  • Passive and zero-energy buildings;
  • HVAC system control optimization;
  • Building energy retrofit;
  • Building energy, exergy, and economic analysis;
  • Building embodied energy and life cycle analysis;
  • Renewable energy allocation;
  • Vertical and roof greening system;
  • High-performance ventilation system;
  • Adaptive climatic responsive building design;
  • Building energy, exergy, and economic analysis;
  • Carbon-natural building;
  • Adaptive building;
  • Application of AI in building control optimization;
  • Building embodied energy and lifecycle analysis.

Dr. Yaolin Lin
Dr. Wei Yang
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 envelop
  • mechanical system
  • passive and zero energy buildings
  • HVAC system control
  • carbon neutrality retrofit
  • energy performance
  • lifecycle analysis
  • embodied energy

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2619 KB  
Article
Energy Consumption Analysis and Energy-Saving Renovation Research on the Building Envelope Structure of Existing Thermal Power Plants in China’s Hot Summer and Cold Winter Regions
by Li Qin, Ji Qi, Yunpeng Qi and Wei Shi
Buildings 2026, 16(1), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16010169 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 661
Abstract
This study focuses on the operational energy consumption of existing thermal power plant buildings in China’s hot-summer, cold-winter regions. Unlike conventional civil buildings, thermal power plant structures feature intense internal heat sources, large spatial dimensions, specialized ventilation requirements, and year-round industrial waste heat. [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the operational energy consumption of existing thermal power plant buildings in China’s hot-summer, cold-winter regions. Unlike conventional civil buildings, thermal power plant structures feature intense internal heat sources, large spatial dimensions, specialized ventilation requirements, and year-round industrial waste heat. Consequently, the energy consumption characteristics and energy-saving logic of their building envelopes remain understudied. This paper innovatively employs a combined experimental approach of field monitoring and energy consumption simulation to quantify the actual thermal performance of building envelopes (particularly exterior walls, doors, and windows) under current operating conditions, identifying key components for energy-saving retrofits of the main plant building envelope. Due to the fact that most thermal power plants were designed relatively early, their envelope structures generally have problems such as poor insulation performance and insufficient air tightness, resulting in severe energy loss under extreme weather conditions. An energy consumption simulation model was established using GBSEARE software. By focusing on heat transfer coefficients of exterior walls and windows as key parameters, a design scheme for energy-saving retrofits of building envelopes in thermal power plants located in hot-summer, cold-winter regions was proposed. The results show that there is a temperature gradient along the height direction inside the main plant, and the personnel activity area in the middle activity level of the steam engine room is the most unfavorable area of the thermal environment of the steam engine room. The heat transfer coefficient of the envelope structure does not meet the current code requirements. The over-standard rate of the exterior walls is 414.55%, and that of the exterior windows is 177.06%. An energy-saving renovation plan is proposed by adopting a composite color compression panel for the external wall, selecting 50 mm flame-retardant polystyrene EPS foam board for the heat preservation layer, adopting 6 high-transmittance Low-E + 12 air + 6 plastic double-cavity for the external windows, and adding movable shutter sunshade. The energy-saving rate of the building reached 55.32% after the renovation. This study provides guidance for energy-efficient retrofitting of existing thermal power plants and for establishing energy-efficient design standards and specifications for future new power plant construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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21 pages, 3089 KB  
Article
A Case Study of Operating Strategy Analysis of Heating and Cooling Source Units for a Large Sports Center
by Jian Li, Licong Dong, Jiangtao Wen, Jian Hong, Xiaolong Xie, Caizhi Xu, Gang Yang, Junli Zhou and Wei Yang
Buildings 2025, 15(23), 4301; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234301 - 27 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 869
Abstract
As large public buildings requiring expansive spatial environments, public gymnasiums exhibit significant overall energy consumption due to their complex physical structures and usage characteristics. HVAC systems account for a substantial portion of this energy use, making their efficient operation critical for reducing energy [...] Read more.
As large public buildings requiring expansive spatial environments, public gymnasiums exhibit significant overall energy consumption due to their complex physical structures and usage characteristics. HVAC systems account for a substantial portion of this energy use, making their efficient operation critical for reducing energy consumption in sports facilities. This study employs TRNSYS 18 simulation to construct a model based on the existing heating and cooling source units for an Olympic Sports Center. By altering control strategies, we analyze the energy consumption of units for different seasons to determine operating strategy. Results indicate that, during the cooling season, a sequential start-up strategy for chillers—prioritizing those with the highest COP in response to dynamic terminal load variations—offers 4.72% energy-saving potential during the cooling season. During the heating season, significant energy savings—up to 18.6%—can be achieved by using air-source heat pumps as the base load supply, operating them continuously, and deploying gas boilers only when supplemental heating is required. These findings offer quantitative support for the optimization of HVAC systems in large Public Gymnasiums, demonstrating a viable pathway to substantially improve energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and advance carbon reduction initiatives, thereby promoting long-term operational sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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26 pages, 4512 KB  
Article
Adapting Energy Conservation Building Code-2023 for the Diverse Climates of Pakistan: A Path to Affordable Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Living
by Tahir Mehmood, Tanzeel ur Rashid, Muhammad Usman, Muzaffar Ali, Daud Mustafa Minhas and Georg Frey
Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3053; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173053 - 26 Aug 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1947
Abstract
In Pakistan and most other developing nations, the residential building sector is one of the highest energy-consuming domains. The residential sector has the highest share of 50% of final electricity use of the country. Though Energy Conservation Building Codes (ECBC-2023) provide structured energy [...] Read more.
In Pakistan and most other developing nations, the residential building sector is one of the highest energy-consuming domains. The residential sector has the highest share of 50% of final electricity use of the country. Though Energy Conservation Building Codes (ECBC-2023) provide structured energy guidelines, no work has been performed to quantify the actual energy-saving potential of code-compliant retrofits in residential buildings. This study investigates the performance of ECBC-compliant retrofitting strategies for residential buildings under Pakistan’s diverse climatic conditions. The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), a validated simulation tool, was used to assess energy performance improvements through building envelope interventions such as thermal insulation, solar shading, window glazing, and optimal orientation. Field data were collected from three representative cities, Multan (hot desert), Taxila (humid subtropical), and Quetta (cold semi-arid), to simulate both conventional and energy-efficient building scenarios. The results showed substantial seasonal energy savings in all three climates. During the heating period, energy savings were 48%, 50%, and 60% for Taxila, Multan, and Quetta, respectively. Similarly, energy savings during the cooling season were 44%, 33%, and 16%. Life cycle economic analysis revealed that these retrofits yielded Net Present Values (NPVs) of USD 752 (Taxila), USD 1226 (Multan), and USD 1670 (Quetta) over a 30-year period, with discounted payback periods ranging from 6 to 10 years. Furthermore, a life cycle assessment demonstrated that retrofitted buildings yielded up to 26% reduction in overall carbon emissions, combining both embodied and operational sources. The findings highlight that ECBC-2023 is not only a technically viable solution for energy savings but also financially attractive in residential retrofitting. By incorporating localized climate responsiveness into ECBC-compliant building design, the study provides a practical roadmap for achieving Pakistan’s energy efficiency goals. Additionally, the outcomes serve as a basis for informing policy initiatives, supporting building code adaptation, and raising public awareness of sustainable housing practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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30 pages, 24334 KB  
Article
Enhanced Heat Removal Using Buoyancy-Tracking Exhaust Vents for Moving Heat Sources in Industrial Environments: CFD and Experimental Study
by Zhongwu Xie, Wei Yin, Xiaoli Hao, Shaobo Zhang, Theofanis Psomas, Torbjörn Lindholm and Lars Ekberg
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101719 - 19 May 2025
Viewed by 1356
Abstract
High-temperature and high-pollution mobile sources are frequently encountered in industrial environments. Fixed-position exhaust outlets often fail to promptly remove heat and contaminants when these sources are in motion, leading to local accumulation and reduced indoor air quality. This study proposes a novel mobile [...] Read more.
High-temperature and high-pollution mobile sources are frequently encountered in industrial environments. Fixed-position exhaust outlets often fail to promptly remove heat and contaminants when these sources are in motion, leading to local accumulation and reduced indoor air quality. This study proposes a novel mobile exhaust system capable of tracking and dynamically aligning with moving emission sources to improve heat removal and cooling efficiency. Three configurations were evaluated: (1) a fixed exhaust outlet, (2) an exhaust vent moving synchronously with the heat source, and (3) a buoyancy-driven tracking exhaust outlet. Small-scale experiments and CFD simulations using dynamic mesh techniques were conducted. The results showed that the synchronous system reduced ambient temperature by an average of 0.25 to 2.3 °C compared to the fixed outlet, while the buoyancy-tracking system achieved an additional 0.15 to 2.5 °C reduction. The study also introduces a correlation between thermal plume inclination and the Archimedes number, providing a predictive basis for exhaust positioning. Given the similar dispersion patterns of heat and airborne pollutants, the proposed system holds promise for both thermal management and contaminant control in dynamic industrial environments. Furthermore, the system may offer critical advantages in emergency ventilation scenarios involving intense heat or hazardous pollutant outbreaks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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23 pages, 25817 KB  
Article
Study on New Natural Ventilation Performance Based on Seat Air Supply in Gymnasiums
by Yinguang Wu, Wensheng Tang, Meng Wang, Yimin Wang and Qinli Deng
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1600; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101600 - 9 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1784
Abstract
In recent years, China has continuously increased the construction of sports facilities, with the number and area of sports venues steadily growing. The use of more energy-efficient ventilation methods in gymnasiums has become one of the research hotspots. Taking a multi-functional gymnasium in [...] Read more.
In recent years, China has continuously increased the construction of sports facilities, with the number and area of sports venues steadily growing. The use of more energy-efficient ventilation methods in gymnasiums has become one of the research hotspots. Taking a multi-functional gymnasium in Wuhan as an example, the gymnasium adopts a seat air supply device driven by natural wind to enhance indoor ventilation. This study uses the methods of field measurement and CFD simulation to analyze the application effect of this new type of natural ventilation device in hot summer and warm winter areas during the transition season. Through CFD simulation of the ventilation performance of the seat air supply at different opening rates, the indoor ventilation effect and thermal comfort were analyzed. The application of the seat air supply greatly improved the indoor environment and enhanced the comfort of personnel. After turning on the seat air supply, the maximum temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors increased from 1.7 °C to 3.4 °C, the natural air intake rate increased from approximately 50% to approximately 70%, the wind speed in the seat area significantly increased, the uniformity of the wind speed field in the movement area significantly increased, and the proportion of areas with low wind speed and no wind speed decreased to 9.6%. The proportion of areas with wind speeds ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 m/s increased from 8.8% to 33.0%. At 10:00 a.m., the temperature at the indoor station was relatively low. The opening of the seat air supply device reduced the PMV value of the front seats by an average of 0.39. When the indoor platform temperature reached the maximum value, the impact of equipment activation on the PMV index of the seat area was relatively small, with an average reduction of only 0.19. The research results show that the application of a natural wind-driven seat air supply in sports venues is very promising, providing a new idea for the energy-saving renovation of gymnasiums and effectively promoting the development of low-carbon undertakings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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Other

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38 pages, 2697 KB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review on the Research and Development of Adaptive Buildings
by Yaolin Lin, Ling Xu, Wei Yang, Lin Tian and Melissa Chan
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1593; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101593 - 8 May 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4577
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to great changes to the climate, such as global warming, urban heat islands, and frequent fluctuations in ambient temperature, and also a large amount of building energy consumption. Adaptive building provides an appropriate solution to maintain low [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to great changes to the climate, such as global warming, urban heat islands, and frequent fluctuations in ambient temperature, and also a large amount of building energy consumption. Adaptive building provides an appropriate solution to maintain low energy consumption under various indoor and outdoor conditions and therefore has increasingly gained attention recently. Yet there is no clear definition on adaptive buildings and the current literature often focuses on the building envelope and overlooks buildings’ mechanical system, which is also an important part of the building system for responding to the indoor requirements and outdoor conditions. This article presents a systematic review on the research and development of adaptive buildings to address the identified research gaps. Firstly, it introduces and discusses the definition and evolution of the concept of adaptive building. Secondly, it reviews the adaptive building envelope technologies of roof, wall and window. Thirdly, it investigates the research progress on the adaptive mechanical system, especially lighting and air-conditioning systems. Lastly, it demonstrates practical applications of adaptive buildings and provides recommendations on future research directions on adaptive buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Energy-Saving Technology—3rd Edition)
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