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Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition
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Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 4937

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jozsef Nyers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Applied Informatics and Applied Mathematics, Obuda University Budapest, Bécsi út 96/B, 1034 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: renewable energies; heat pumps; heat pump heating systems; thermal isolation; energy and energy-economical optimization; mathematical models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Árpád Nyers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Building Services and Building Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University Pecs, 7622 Pécs, Hungary
Interests: heat pumps; heat pump heating-cooling systems; energy efficiency; thermal isulation; mathematic models; energy optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the developed world, both the consumption of energy and the environmental load continue to increase. One consequence of this is global warming, with buildings contributing significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to publish papers that enhance the energy performance of buildings based on recent research results.

The technology utilized to save energy in buildings mainly includes thermal insulation, renewable energy sources and, to some extent, energy storage. Energy consumption is slightly affected by the control of heating–cooling systems and the value of comfort parameters.

In order to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings, we invite our colleagues to participate in this Special Issue by presenting their new research results in scientific papers.

We welcome the submission of innovative articles, reviews, case studies, analytical work on the optimization of numerical energy, as well as assessment papers concerning the construction of energy-efficient buildings.

Prof. Dr. Jozsef Nyers
Dr. Árpád Nyers
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.

Keywords

  • thermal isolation in buildings
  • heat storage systems
  • energy effective heating and cooling systems
  • thermal comfort and energy efficiency
  • building operation and monitoring
  • control systems in the buildings
  • energy recovery systems

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 7764 KB  
Article
Perception of Environmental Comfort in Historic Museum Buildings Depending on the Method of Active Microclimate Control—A Case Study of the National Museum in Krakow
by Agnieszka Sadłowska-Sałęga, Weronika Burda and Karolina Moskal
Energies 2026, 19(1), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010170 - 28 Dec 2025
Viewed by 982
Abstract
Museums open to the public must reconcile heritage preservation requirements with energy-conscious microclimate management and visitors’ environmental experience. In historic buildings, indoor conditions are typically controlled primarily for preventive conservation, while opportunities for detailed assessment of human comfort are often limited by existing [...] Read more.
Museums open to the public must reconcile heritage preservation requirements with energy-conscious microclimate management and visitors’ environmental experience. In historic buildings, indoor conditions are typically controlled primarily for preventive conservation, while opportunities for detailed assessment of human comfort are often limited by existing monitoring systems and operational constraints. This study investigates visitors’ perceptions of thermal conditions and indoor air quality (IAQ) in two branches of the National Museum in Krakow (NMK) characterized by different microclimate-control strategies: the mechanically ventilated and air-conditioned Cloth Hall and the predominantly passively controlled Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace. A pilot survey was conducted in spring 2023 to capture subjective assessments of thermal sensation and perceived IAQ. These perceptions were contextualized using long-term air temperature and relative humidity data (2013–2023) routinely monitored for conservation purposes. Environmental data were analyzed to assess the stability of indoor conditions and to provide background for interpreting survey responses, rather than to perform a normative evaluation of thermal comfort. The results indicate that visitors frequently perceived the indoor environment as slightly warm and reported lower air quality in the Palace, where air was often described as stale or stuffy. These perceptions occurred despite relatively small differences in monitored air temperature and relative humidity between the two buildings. The findings suggest that ventilation strategy, air exchange effectiveness, odor accumulation, room configuration, and lighting conditions may influence perceived environmental quality more strongly than temperature or humidity alone. Although limited in scope, this pilot study highlights the value of incorporating visitor perception into discussions of energy-conscious microclimate management in museums and indicates directions for further multidisciplinary research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition)
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29 pages, 1483 KB  
Article
Economic and Energy Efficiency of Bivalent Heating Systems in a Retrofitted Hospital Building: A Case Study
by Jakub Szymiczek, Krzysztof Szczotka, Piotr Michalak, Radosław Pyrek and Ewa Chomać-Pierzecka
Energies 2026, 19(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010010 - 19 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 756
Abstract
This case study evaluates the economic and energy efficiency of retrofitting a hospital heating system in Krakow, Poland, by transitioning from a district-heating-only model to a bivalent hybrid system. The analyzed configuration integrates air-to-water heat pumps (HP), a 180 kWp photovoltaic (PV) installation, [...] Read more.
This case study evaluates the economic and energy efficiency of retrofitting a hospital heating system in Krakow, Poland, by transitioning from a district-heating-only model to a bivalent hybrid system. The analyzed configuration integrates air-to-water heat pumps (HP), a 180 kWp photovoltaic (PV) installation, and a 120 kWh battery energy storage (ES) unit, while retaining the municipal district heating network as a peak load and backup source. Utilizing high-resolution quasi-steady-state simulations in Ebsilon Professional (10 min time step) and projected 2025 market data, the study compares three modernization scenarios differing in heat pump capacity (20, 40, and 60 kW). The assessment focuses on key performance indicators, including Net Present Value (NPV), Levelized Cost of Heating (LCOH), and Simple Payback Time (SPBT). The results identify the bivalent system with 40 kW thermal capacity (Variant 2) as the economic optimum, delivering the highest NPV (EUR 121,021), the lowest LCOH (0.0908 EUR/kWh), and a payback period of 11.94 years. Furthermore, the study quantitatively demonstrates the law of diminishing returns in the oversized scenario (60 kW), confirming that optimal sizing is critical for maximizing the efficiency of bivalent systems in public healthcare facilities. This work provides a detailed methodology and data that can form a basis for making investment decisions in similar public utility buildings in Central and Eastern Europe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition)
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18 pages, 3398 KB  
Article
PlugID: A Platform for Authenticated Energy Consumption to Enhance Accountability and Efficiency in Smart Buildings
by Raphael Machado, Leonardo Pinheiro, Victor Santos and Bruno Salgado
Energies 2025, 18(20), 5466; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18205466 - 17 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 818
Abstract
Energy efficiency in shared environments, such as offices and laboratories, is hindered by a lack of individual accountability. Traditional smart metering provides aggregated data but fails to attribute consumption to specific users, limiting the effectiveness of behavioral change initiatives. This paper introduces the [...] Read more.
Energy efficiency in shared environments, such as offices and laboratories, is hindered by a lack of individual accountability. Traditional smart metering provides aggregated data but fails to attribute consumption to specific users, limiting the effectiveness of behavioral change initiatives. This paper introduces the “authenticated energy consumption” paradigm, an innovative approach that directly links energy use to an identified user. We present PlugID, a low-cost, open-protocol IoT platform designed and built to implement this paradigm. The PlugID platform comprises a custom smart plug with RFID-based authentication and a secure, cloud-based data analytics backend. The device utilizes an ESP8266 microcontroller, Tasmota firmware, and the MQTT protocol over TLS for secure communication. Seven PlugID units were deployed in a small office environment to demonstrate the system’s feasibility. The main contribution of this work is the design, implementation, and validation of a complete, end-to-end system for authenticated energy monitoring. We argue that by making energy consumption an auditable and attributable event, the PlugID platform provides a powerful new tool to enforce energy policies, foster user awareness, and promote genuine efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition)
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22 pages, 1165 KB  
Article
Technical, Technological, Environmental and Energetical Aspects in Livestock Building Construction Using Structural Timber
by Jan Barwicki, Witold Jan Wardal, Kamila Ewelina Mazur and Mikhail Tseyko
Energies 2025, 18(20), 5411; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18205411 - 14 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1082
Abstract
The demand for energy-efficient construction in agriculture calls for a reassessment of materials used in livestock buildings. This study evaluated the use of timber as an alternative to traditional materials, with a focus on embodied energy (EE) and carbon footprint (CFP) Eight EU [...] Read more.
The demand for energy-efficient construction in agriculture calls for a reassessment of materials used in livestock buildings. This study evaluated the use of timber as an alternative to traditional materials, with a focus on embodied energy (EE) and carbon footprint (CFP) Eight EU countries (Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, France, Sweden, and Finland), were analyzed considering both forest resources and livestock populations. The forest area varied from more than 310,000 km2 in Sweden to just 6464 km2 in Denmark. Meanwhile, livestock populations varied significantly, with Germany reporting over 8.2 million LSU (livestock unit, 500 kg) in cattle alone. The number of livestock buildings was estimated assuming 100 LSU per building, allowing for a comparison between timber and conventional designs. Timber-based cowsheds were found to lower embodied carbon by up to 10,433 kg CO2e per barn compared with 17,450 kg CO2e for conventional structures. Embodied energy for a single wooden cowshed was around 151 GJ versus more than 246 GJ for a traditional counterpart. Scaled up to the national level, this represents a 35–40% reduction in total embodied energy. In addition to environmental outcomes, the analysis considered economic, technical, and regulatory aspects influencing adoption. The results suggest that substituting conventional materials with timber can contribute to emission reductions in agricultural construction, while further research is needed on fire safety, prefabrication, and policy harmonizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition)
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19 pages, 3175 KB  
Article
Renewable Energy Storage in a Poly-Generative System Fuel Cell/Electrolyzer, Supporting Green Mobility in a Residential Building
by Giuseppe De Lorenzo, Nicola Briguglio and Antonio S. Vita
Energies 2025, 18(20), 5343; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18205343 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 763
Abstract
The European Commission, through the REPowerEU plan and the “Fit for 55” package, aims to reduce fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions by promoting electric and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (EV-FCHEVs). The transition to this mobility model requires energy systems that [...] Read more.
The European Commission, through the REPowerEU plan and the “Fit for 55” package, aims to reduce fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions by promoting electric and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (EV-FCHEVs). The transition to this mobility model requires energy systems that are able to provide both electricity and hydrogen while reducing the reliance of residential buildings on the national grid. This study analyses a poly-generative (PG) system composed of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) fed by biomethane, a Photovoltaic (PV) system, and a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyser (PEME), with electric vehicles used as dynamic storage units. The assessment is based on simulation tools developed for the main components and applied to four representative seasonal days in Rende (Italy), considering different daily travel ranges of a 30-vehicle fleet. Results show that the PG system provides about 27 kW of electricity, 14.6 kW of heat, and 3.11 kg of hydrogen in winter, spring, and autumn, and about 26 kW, 14 kW, and 3.11 kg in summer; it fully covers the building’s electrical demand in summer and hot water demand in all seasons. The integration of EV batteries reduces grid dependence, improves renewable self-consumption, and allows for the continuous and efficient operation of both the SOFC and PEME, demonstrating the potential of the proposed system to support the green transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of the Buildings: 4th Edition)
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