Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the Built Environment

Dear Colleagues,

The expansion of the tertiary sector and the digitalization of work have strongly increased the time we spend in indoor environments. As a matter of fact, buildings constitute a central part of our daily lives, particularly in times of a pandemic and mobility restrictions. In this context, the built environment in its different forms, such as housing, office buildings, schools, and hospitals, is the source of more than one-third of the European Union (EU)’s carbon dioxide emissions and the single largest energy consumer.

One problem is that Europe's buildings lack energy efficiency and are dependent on fossil fuels. These are two major challenges that need to be overcome under the EU's plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

The built environment will be extremely difficult to decarbonize within this timeframe, considering the wide range of different buildings, regulations, and actors. Thus, it is key to coordinate and articulate at the same time several strategies, such as the renovation of existing buildings, the construction of new buildings to low-energy consumption standards, supply from renewable energy sources, and energy demand management. Furthermore, as energy poverty continues to affect a high proportion of European households, it is necessary to take into account the most vulnerable populations in order to not leave anyone behind in the process.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore strategies, program policies, and social and technological innovations, from a European to a local level, that could contribute to a fair and inclusive transition toward a low-carbon building sector based on improvements in energy efficiency and an increased share of renewable energy. Topics of particular interest to this Special Issue include:

• building renovations that improve energy efficiency;
• renewable energy at a local scale;
• decarbonized and clean energy systems;
• energy poverty and vulnerable consumers;
• renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities;
• zero energy buildings and zero energy retrofitting projects;
• communities and local sustainable development solutions; and
• energy models for low-carbon and sustainable cities.

Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Olivieri
Prof. Dr. Francesca Olivieri
Ms. Valentina Oquendo-Di Cosola
Ms. Louise-Nour Sassenou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• renewable energy
• energy efficiency
• self-sufficient cities
• local self-consumption
• decarbonization
• energy transition
• low-carbon communities
• energy poverty
• building-integrated photovoltaics
• sustainable development goals