Innovative Active and Passive Energy Systems for Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Urban Residential Development

Dear Colleagues,

In 2020, the residential sector represented 27% of final energy consumption in the EU. At the same time, the high energy consumption of fossil fuels in the building sector, in combination with climate change across the globe, increased the need to transition toward more sustainable building practices. This focus on the integration of renewable energy systems into buildings, the use of cutting-edge HVAC systems, and the adoption of new envelope technologies for the development of sustainable and energy-efficient buildings and communities, together with the universal goal of decarbonizing our economies, has led to the development and implementation of innovative design criteria and standards.

This Special Issue aims to gather new research findings, case studies, and best practices which use active and passive energy systems with the aim of lowering building energy demands while also reducing buildings’ environmental impact, concurrently increasing occupant thermal comfort and indoor air quality, with a focus on the residential sector. We welcome submissions from all interested parties conducting research or working on projects related to this evolving agenda. We believe that contributions by experts in the field are crucial for advancing our understanding and the implementation of innovative practices, criteria, standards, and policies, and we hope to showcase a diverse range of perspectives and experiences on this topic.

Articles from the following fields of research are especially welcome:

• Advanced envelope technologies and new materials
• Building energy simulation tools and modelling techniques
• Building information modelling and integrated design approaches
• Building integration of renewable energy systems
• Building occupant behaviors
• Climate-adaptive building design
• Energy use in buildings
• Energy-efficient building design
• Hygrothermal comfort and indoor air quality
• Life cycle assessment of building systems
• Low-carbon buildings
• Natural, mechanical, and hybrid ventilation
• Passive energy technologies and strategies
• Smart buildings, districts, and communities
• Thermal comfort
• Thermal energy storage technologies
• Thermal environment in buildings

Dr. Constantinos Vassiliades
Dr. Ioannis Vardopoulos
Dr. Giovanni Barone
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. Energies 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.