Efficient Building Energy Systems: Simulation, Optimization and Renewable Energy Integration
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editors
2. Faculty of Engineering, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, NOI Techpark, Bruno-Buozzi-Straße 1, Via Bruno Buozzi, 39100 Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
Interests: sustainability; smart buildings; energy efficiency; indoor environmental quality
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Buildings account for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and improving their energy performance is essential for achieving international decarbonisation and resilience goals. The rapid evolution of simulation tools, data-driven modelling, optimization techniques, and renewable energy technologies has created unprecedented opportunities to transform the way building energy systems are conceived, designed, and operated. Today’s energy-efficient buildings rely on integrated strategies that combine advanced envelope solutions, high-performance HVAC systems, adaptive control logics, on-site generation, and storage technologies. As regulatory frameworks increasingly move toward net-zero and climate-positive targets, research on efficient building energy systems has gained renewed relevance and urgency.
This Special Issue, titled “Efficient Building Energy Systems: Simulation, Optimization and Renewable Energy Integration”, aims to gather cutting-edge research that advances the theoretical foundations, computational methods, design approaches, and practical applications related to building performance and energy system integration. We welcome contributions that explore innovative simulation workflows, multi-objective optimization, parametric modelling, digital twins, and AI/ML-based approaches for predicting and enhancing building performance. Submissions addressing the integration of photovoltaic systems, solar thermal technologies, hybrid heat pump solutions, micro grids, thermal and electrical storage, and smart control strategies are particularly encouraged. Additionally, studies that link building-scale solutions with district or urban energy systems, address human-centred considerations such as occupant behaviour and adaptive comfort, or evaluate the life-cycle impacts of design alternatives also align closely with the scope of this Special Issue.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Building energy simulation and model validation;
- Optimization of building envelopes, HVAC systems, shading, and passive design;
- Integration of renewable energy systems into buildings and districts;
- Energy storage and demand-side management strategies;
- Data-driven energy modelling, machine learning, and digital twins;
- Smart façade systems, dynamic envelopes, and advanced materials;
- Occupant behaviour modelling, adaptive comfort, and control strategies;
- Life-cycle assessment and embodied energy analysis;
- Nearly zero and net-zero energy buildings.
This Special Issue provides a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share recent advances and innovative methodologies supporting more efficient, resilient, and low-carbon building environments. We invite original research articles, review papers, and case studies that contribute to the scientific and practical advancement of high-performance building energy systems.
Dr. Shahryar Habibi
Dr. Martina Ferrando
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.
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Keywords
- building energy systems
- building performance simulation
- energy optimization
- renewable energy integration
- photovoltaic systems
- heat pumps
- energy storage
- HVAC optimization
- passive design
- dynamic façades
- smart building technologies
- occupant behaviour modelling
- adaptive comfort
- digital twins
- machine learning for energy prediction
- net-zero energy buildings
- nearly zero energy buildings
- life-cycle assessment
- district energy systems
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