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Design, Modeling, and Testing of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Building Energy Systems for Energy Efficiency

A Special Issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073) belonging to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 1316

Editor

Dr. Nassif Nabil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA
Interests: building mechanical systems and refrigeration systems; modeling, analysis, optimization and control of HVAC systems; sustainable built environment, artificial intelligence applications and smart capabilities in building energy systems; energy efficiency and technologies in buildings; fault detection and diagnosis of cooling and heating energy systems; continuous and retro-commissioning of HVAC systems; heat-mass transport and energy systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems play a central role in global energy consumption, environmental control, and thermal management across a wide range of applications, including residential and commercial buildings, industrial facilities, data centers, and high-temperature process heating. As electrification, decarbonization, and energy efficiency become global priorities, innovative approaches to the design, modeling, optimization, and experimental validation of HVAC systems are becoming increasingly essential to improve the performance and reduce the energy demand of these systems.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the design, modeling, experimental testing, optimization, and control of HVAC systems across both traditional building applications and emerging sectors such as industrial heat pumps, high-temperature thermal systems, and data centers.

We invite the submission of high-quality, cutting-edge research contributions that address theoretical development, computational modeling, system integration, experimental validation, and field deployment of advanced HVAC technologies.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Modeling and simulation of HVAC and heat pump systems;
  • High-temperature and industrial heat pump technologies;
  • Thermal energy storage integration;
  • Electrification and decarbonization of thermal systems;
  • Data-driven modeling, artificial intelligence, and machine learning applications;
  • Optimization of energy efficiency and system performance;
  • Integration of renewable energy with HVAC systems;
  • Multi-scale and multi-physics modeling approaches;
  • HVAC system reliability, durability, and performance diagnostics.

We seek contributions that bridge theory and practice, combining rigorous modeling with laboratory or field validation whenever possible. Both original research articles and comprehensive review papers are welcome.

We look forward to receiving contributions that advance the science and engineering of HVAC systems across diverse applications.

Dr. Nassif Nabil
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-anonymized 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.

Keywords

  • HVAC systems
  • heat pumps
  • building energy systems
  • industrial thermal systems
  • controlled environment agriculture
  • HVAC modeling
  • HVAC control
  • system optimization
  • advanced control strategies
  • energy efficiency
  • experimental validation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 3565 KB  
Article
Advanced Indirect Dew-Point Evaporative Cooling System Under High-Humidity Environments
by Panyu Tang, Jing Xie, Hui Jiang and Dazhang Yang
Energies 2026, 19(17), 4069; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19174069 - 29 Aug 2026
Viewed by 154
Abstract
Conventional dew-point evaporative cooling (DPEC) systems are constrained by two critical bottlenecks: insufficient humidification efficiency and pronounced performance degradation under high-humidity conditions. To address these limitations, this study proposes and experimentally characterizes a novel ultrasonic spray-humidified DPEC system integrated with a 3D-printed PA [...] Read more.
Conventional dew-point evaporative cooling (DPEC) systems are constrained by two critical bottlenecks: insufficient humidification efficiency and pronounced performance degradation under high-humidity conditions. To address these limitations, this study proposes and experimentally characterizes a novel ultrasonic spray-humidified DPEC system integrated with a 3D-printed PA (polyamide)-supported LiCl-PAAS (lithium chloride–sodium polyacrylate) composite sorbent coating. In this system, a 3D-printed porous sorbent module with a high specific surface area is embedded in the drying chamber to dehumidify the working air. Under the standard operating condition of 36 °C and 50% RH (relative humidity), the improved system achieves a product air dry-bulb temperature of 21.5–4.1 °C lower than that of the counterpart without a sorbent coating—alongside an 84% improvement in COPe (electrical coefficient of performance, accounting only for fan and ultrasonic humidifier power, excluding regeneration heat). Under the high-humidity condition of 90% RH, the cooling performance degradation rate is reduced from 91.97% for the conventional system to 63.81% for the proposed design. This work validates the synergistic enhancement effect of precooling-assisted dehumidification coupled with centralized humidification in a small-scale proof-of-principle prototype, and provides preliminary experimental evidence for future exploration of DPEC technology in high-temperature and high-humidity climate zones; scale-up and long-term field validation remain to be conducted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Modeling, and Testing of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Building Energy Systems for Energy Efficiency)
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27 pages, 869 KB  
Article
Electrical Demand Uplift and Coil Performance Constraints in Air-Source Heat Pump Retrofits for Commercial Office Buildings
by Darren Kelly, Akhtar Kalam and Shasha Wang
Energies 2026, 19(13), 3018; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19133018 - 26 Jun 2026
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Decarbonising existing commercial buildings requires replacing combustion-based heating systems with electrically driven alternatives such as air-source heat pumps (ASHPs). Although the energy and emissions benefits of heat pumps are well established, less attention has been given to the plant-level electrical demand uplift and [...] Read more.
Decarbonising existing commercial buildings requires replacing combustion-based heating systems with electrically driven alternatives such as air-source heat pumps (ASHPs). Although the energy and emissions benefits of heat pumps are well established, less attention has been given to the plant-level electrical demand uplift and hydronic constraints that can limit retrofit feasibility in existing buildings. This study quantifies the electrical demand uplift and air-handling unit (AHU) coil performance limitations associated with ASHP retrofitting in an existing Australian commercial office building. A peak design-load assessment was undertaken to compare the baseline gas-fired heating system with an electrified ASHP configuration under equivalent thermal load conditions. The principal electrical outcomes are derived from a specified 1900 kW Stage 3 plant-screening heating boundary. This boundary reflects the prevailing installed plant-screening condition, rather than the aggregate of scheduled AHU heating duties. First-principles energy balances and hydronic relationships were used to translate thermal demand into plant electrical demand under winter design conditions, while existing AHU heating coils were re-rated under low-temperature hydronic operation. The results show that baseline winter heating is associated with only a small auxiliary electrical load, whereas the governing baseline plant peak occurs during cooling at 399 kW. When referenced to the adopted 1900 kW Stage 3 installed-capacity screening boundary, the peak winter ASHP plant electrical demand increased to 956.66 kW, corresponding to an upper-bound electrical uplift of 557.7 kW relative to the governing baseline plant electrical demand. In parallel, low-temperature hydronic operation (55/45 °C) reduced AHU heating-coil capacity, requiring increased flow rates and, in many cases, coil modification to maintain scheduled duty. These findings indicate that, in the assessed case-study building, the principal barriers to ASHP retrofitting are not annual energy performance alone, but peak electrical infrastructure implications and hydronic system compatibility. The study therefore provides a transparent, building-scale screening methodology for assessing electrification feasibility in existing commercial buildings, while recognising that the reported numerical results are specific to the case-study building and stated design assumptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Modeling, and Testing of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Building Energy Systems for Energy Efficiency)
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20 pages, 4768 KB  
Article
Design and Cooling Performance Analysis of a Coupled Solar Ventilation Evaporative Cooling System for Hot and Arid Climates
by Faris Alqurashi, Rached Nciri, Chaouki Ali and Faouzi Nasri
Energies 2026, 19(12), 2915; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19122915 - 20 Jun 2026
Viewed by 424
Abstract
This study investigates numerically a Coupled Solar Ventilation Evaporative Cooling system for hot and arid climates. The system uses a solar wall chimney to produce natural ventilation and generate hot and dry airflow, which is then directed through a roof-mounted humid hay packed [...] Read more.
This study investigates numerically a Coupled Solar Ventilation Evaporative Cooling system for hot and arid climates. The system uses a solar wall chimney to produce natural ventilation and generate hot and dry airflow, which is then directed through a roof-mounted humid hay packed bed to enhance evaporative air conditioning. The resulting cold is transferred via a thermally conductive inner roof plate while a membrane condenser recovers moisture for reusing. A mathematical model was developed to describe heat and mass transfer in the hay packed bed, including solar chimney airflow, pressure drop and the evaporation energy balance. Parametric simulations were carried out for inlet air temperature of 40–60 °C, airflow rates of 0.25–0.45 m3/s, hay moisture contents of 0.006–0.014 kg/kg dry basis and air humidity ratio of 0.002–0.006 kg/kg dry air. Results show that evaporative cooling becomes effective only above certain inlet temperature. Increasing airflow from 0.25 to 0.45 m3/s reduced hay temperature from 30 to 26.8 °C when inlet air temperature exceeded 43.5 °C. Higher hay moisture content enhanced cooling performance, reaching about 26 °C, while higher inlet air humidity reduced evaporation and limited cooling. The operating maps obtained from the numerical simulations provide practical guidance for preliminary system sizing and for optimal operating parameters selection in solar-driven evaporative cooling systems. The mathematical model treats the solar chimney, the evaporative packed bed, the conditioned room and the membrane condenser within the same steady state calculation. The solar energy balance and the pressure balance are used to relate the inlet air temperature and the airflow rate to solar irradiance, ambient temperature and chimney geometry. The model also includes the heat transferred from the room through the roof plate, the sensible heat of the supplied water and the mass transfer and pressure drop effects of the membrane condenser. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Modeling, and Testing of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Building Energy Systems for Energy Efficiency)
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