Sustainable Monitoring Systems for Optimizing Building Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editors
Interests: energy efficiency; sustainable buildings; IAQ; renewable energy sources; heating; HVAC; DHW; energy consumption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: heat pumps; decarbonization; indoor air quality (IAQ); building energy simulation; thermal comfort; HVAC systems; microcontrollers
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The European Union states that buildings represent a significant share of total energy consumption across Europe. Reducing this demand is a crucial step in the ongoing decarbonization process and represents an opportunity for research, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.
Energy reduction depends not only on direct efficiency strategies, including the adoption of renewable-based HVAC systems (e.g., heat pumps) and improved insulation measures, but also on the implementation of monitoring systems able to assess energy use and operational behavior in buildings. A considerable portion of unnecessary energy consumption is often attributable to the absence of real-time monitoring and mismanagement of building systems.
Moreover, monitoring should not be limited to energy performance alone. As emphasized by international standards, it must also address thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in order to prevent conditions such as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and ensure occupants’ health and productivity.
Balancing energy efficiency, IAQ, and thermal comfort remains a key challenge for sustainable buildings. Today, the availability of intelligent, cost-effective monitoring systems makes it possible to achieve this balance, enabling data-driven actions toward healthier and more energy-efficient environments.
In this context, INNOBUILD2026, to be held 20–22 May 2026 in Białystok, will offer a timely platform on which the latest technologies and research in building monitoring, energy management, IAQ measurement, and thermal comfort assessment may be showcased. It will bring together academics, industry professionals, building operators, and policymakers to exchange innovations and applications in sustainable built environments. For authors contributing to this Special Issue, INNOBUILD2026 serves as a practical reference—a venue where research is not only discussed but also demonstrated in real-world settings, and where cross-disciplinary collaboration can flourish.
Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer-review process, with the goal of promoting the rapid dissemination of research results, developments, and innovative applications.
Dr. Dorota Anna Krawczyk
Dr. Vincenzo Ballerini
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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
- building energy efficiency
- indoor air quality (IAQ)
- thermal comfort
- smart monitoring systems
- HVAC
- heat pumps
- decarbonization
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- microcontrollers
- predictive control and automation
- sustainable building design
- data-driven building management
- predictive models
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