Modeling and Simulation of Building Energy System

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 May 2026) | Viewed by 3762

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Guest Editor
Department of Building & Plant Engineering, Hanbat National University, Daejeon 34158, Republic of Korea
Interests: building energy systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As climate change mitigation and sustainable development become increasingly critical global challenges, improving building energy efficiency and sustainability has emerged as a key research focus in the fields of architecture and construction. The building sector accounts for approximately 40% of global energy consumption and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, enhancing building energy efficiency and promoting sustainability can play a vital role in environmental protection, economic advancement, and improving the quality of life for occupants.

This Special Issue highlights strategies for improving energy efficiency and innovative technologies for sustainable buildings and we encourage researchers from diverse disciplines to collaborate, propose new ideas, and contribute to the development of practical solutions.

The Special Issue covers, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • High-efficiency building envelope systems
    • Smart window and wall systems;
    • Adaptive facade technologies;
    • Natural ventilation and daylighting control systems.
  • Renewable Energy Integration
    • Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems;
    • Geothermal and air-source heat utilization technologies;
    • Microgrids and energy storage systems.
  • Smart Building Technologies
    • IoT-based building energy management systems (BEMSs);
    • Energy optimization using artificial intelligence and machine learning;
    • User behavior analysis and prediction models.
  • Energy-Efficient Building Materials:
    • Thermal energy storage systems using phase change materials (PCMs);
    • High-insulation and low-carbon building materials;
    • Bio-based and recycled building materials.
  • Net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Implementation Technologies
    • Passive design strategies and optimization;
    • Active system integration and control;
    • ZEB performance evaluation and certification methodologies.
  • Green Remodeling and Energy Efficiency Improvements
    • Energy performance improvement strategies for existing buildings;
    • Cost-effective retrofit technologies;
    • Energy efficiency enhancement for historic buildings.
  • Urban-Scale Energy Efficiency
    • District energy networks and combined heat and power;
    • Building energy management in connection with smart cities;
    • Energy efficiency strategies for urban heat island mitigation.
  • Building Energy Performance Simulation and Optimization
    • Advanced simulation tools and methodologies;
    • Multi-objective optimization algorithm development;
    • Building lifecycle energy analysis.
  • Energy Efficiency Policies and Standardization
    • Analysis and proposals for building energy efficiency policies;
    • Development of international energy efficiency standards and certification systems;
    • Economic evaluation and incentive schemes.
  • User-Centric Energy Saving Technologies
    • Interface design to induce behavior change;
    • Energy use visualization and feedback systems;
    • Personalized energy management solutions.
  • Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Applications
    • Energy consumption prediction and anomaly detection;
    • HVAC system optimization through reinforcement learning;
    • Deep learning-based building energy modeling.
  • Virtual Sensor Technologies
    • The development and application of data-driven virtual sensors;
    • Advanced energy monitoring through sensor fusion technologies;
    • Cost-effective energy management strategies using virtual sensors.
  • Digital Twin Technologies
    • Digital twin implementation for building energy systems;
    • Real-time monitoring and prediction-based energy optimization;
    • Building energy performance improvement using digital twins.
  • Circular Economy and Energy Efficiency
    • Energy-efficient material selection and recycling;
    • Energy-efficient design considering disassembly and reuse;
    • Lifecycle management of building energy systems.
  • Harmonization of Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Efficiency
    • Integrated approach to energy efficiency and indoor air quality improvement;
    • Energy-efficient lighting and acoustic design;
    • Energy management strategies considering occupant health and well-being.

We invite a diverse range of submissions, including theoretical research, experimental studies, case studies, and policy analyses. This Special Issue emphasizes innovative approaches achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration and research offering practical, actionable solutions. We look forward to sharing your valuable research findings through this Special Issue and advancing building energy efficiency to support a sustainable future.

Dr. Sung Lok Do
Guest Editor

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 efficiency
  • renewable energy integration
  • smart building technologies
  • net zero energy buildings (ZEBs)
  • artificial intelligence in energy management

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

36 pages, 11070 KB  
Article
Influence of Geometric Form and Size on ETFE Cushion Building Facade Characteristics and Their Implications for Thermal Performance and Energy Consumption
by Yasemin Bal and Didem Güneş Yılmaz
Buildings 2026, 16(12), 2415; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122415 - 17 Jun 2026
Viewed by 85
Abstract
ETFE cushions are applied to building facades in a wide range of geometric forms and sizes. However, information on how cushion geometry and dimensions affect bulging behavior, thickness and area values, structural strength, thermal conductivity, and energy performance remains limited. Therefore, this study [...] Read more.
ETFE cushions are applied to building facades in a wide range of geometric forms and sizes. However, information on how cushion geometry and dimensions affect bulging behavior, thickness and area values, structural strength, thermal conductivity, and energy performance remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates cushion typology in eight geometries (isosceles and equilateral triangle, square, rectangle, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, circular) with side lengths or radius values between 1 and 10 m, covering 115 variations. Geometric/physical mathematical area calculations, the parabolic dome model, elastic plate bending theory, the empirical thickness model, and thermal-resistance and degree day-based energy calculation approaches are used to obtain planar area, inflated curved surface area, maximum and average thickness, R and U values, and heating, cooling, and total energy consumption for each typology. The use of AI in numerical calculations provides fast and efficient design solutions in architecture and enables various geometric and performance scenarios to be produced rapidly. Circular, hexagon, and pentagon cushions lower U values and provide energy savings due to their high bulging capacity and deformation homogeneity; square, rhombus, and rectangle cushions show medium-level performance; isosceles and equilateral triangles limit energy savings because they produce higher U values. In conclusion, an increase in average bulging thickness and characteristic length reduces the number of cushions required to cover the facade, decreases the U value, reduces total heating and cooling energy consumption, and improves thermal performance. When a facade is covered with cushions of different geometries and sizes, it provides up to approximately 99.24% energy savings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Simulation of Building Energy System)
24 pages, 5947 KB  
Article
Optimizing Performance of Pressure-Independent Control Valve for Hydronic Systems in Buildings
by Beungyong Park, Joowook Kim, Joonki Min and Taeyon Hwang
Buildings 2025, 15(24), 4569; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244569 - 18 Dec 2025
Viewed by 840
Abstract
This study proposes the shape of a pressure-independent control valve (PICV) that minimizes the pressure drop to improve the flow performance of PICVs through target value modeling in accordance with the opening rate of the PICV. The model was verified by comparing the [...] Read more.
This study proposes the shape of a pressure-independent control valve (PICV) that minimizes the pressure drop to improve the flow performance of PICVs through target value modeling in accordance with the opening rate of the PICV. The model was verified by comparing the experimental values of the PICV at different opening rates with the flow rate and pressure drop based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, and CFD simulations were performed based on the PICV opening rate and the improved model shape. The comparison between the PICV experimental values and the CFD modeling values indicated a flow rate difference of less than 4.65%, thus proving that the model satisfies the target flow rate. Based on this result, the PICV model was improved so that the minimum absolute pressure was increased and the pressure drop was decreased compared to the existing valve shape. Consequently, the energy requirements of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning pumps of the building can be reduced, as there is no requirement for pressure drops, allowing the valve to operate without increasing the saturated vapor pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Simulation of Building Energy System)
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17 pages, 3694 KB  
Article
Determining the Outdoor Air Intake Dry-Bulb Temperature Range for Economizer Applications in Data Centers
by Ahmin Jang, Minho Kim, Dongsu Kim, Suh-hyun Kwon and Sung Lok Do
Buildings 2025, 15(16), 2913; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15162913 - 17 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the optimal outdoor air (OA) intake temperature range for the application of a dry-bulb temperature-based air-side economizer in data centers. To this end, a series of parametric simulations was conducted using EnergyPlus (version 24.1.0) and a previously validated [...] Read more.
This study aimed to identify the optimal outdoor air (OA) intake temperature range for the application of a dry-bulb temperature-based air-side economizer in data centers. To this end, a series of parametric simulations was conducted using EnergyPlus (version 24.1.0) and a previously validated small-to-medium-scale data center model situated in Daejeon, South Korea (ASHRAE Climate Zone 4A). A parametric analysis was performed by varying the maximum allowable OA intake dry-bulb temperature from 10 to 18 °C in 2 °C increments. The simulation results indicated that OA intake was limited during the summer due to high humidity levels, whereas it was more viable during the winter and interseason period. However, when the maximum OA intake dry-bulb temperature exceeded 14 °C, the increase in latent heat load caused humidity increased overall energy consumption. To expand the applicable range for air-side economizer operation, the cooling system capacity was adjusted. The scenario with a 14 °C OA threshold demonstrated the most favorable balance between energy efficiency and compliance with operating environmental criteria. The findings of this study provide a technical basis for establishing OA intake guidelines in dry-bulb temperature-based economizer control. However, further field-based validation is required to verify the effectiveness of these simulation results under real-world operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Simulation of Building Energy System)
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