Renewable HVAC Solutions for Existing and New Buildings
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 96
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hybrid energy systems; renewable energy; HVAC; heat pumps; thermodynamics; building energy systems; thermal energy storage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The integration of renewable energy technologies into HVAC systems is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in both existing and newly constructed buildings. Existing buildings pose significant challenges due to their reliance on high-temperature heating systems, where the transition to renewable solutions is constrained by the need to maintain adequate supply temperatures while avoiding costly structural retrofits. Advanced technologies capable of delivering high supply temperatures enable minimal architectural intervention and ensure system reliability throughout the transition. For new buildings, 5th generation district heating and cooling (5GDHC) systems offer a transformative approach through decentralized, low-temperature networks that facilitate bidirectional energy exchange and efficient utilization of locally available and waste heat sources, enhancing both energy and exergy efficiency. Thermal energy storage integrated into hybrid energy systems improves flexibility and resilience by enabling the temporal balancing of supply and demand. Model predictive control (MPC) and machine-learning techniques allow real-time optimization of energy consumption, supporting demand-side management, reducing CO2-equivalent emissions and improving the economic performance of building energy systems.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for disseminating recent advances, innovative solutions and practical applications contributing to the sustainable transformation of HVAC systems in the built environment. It welcomes contributions addressing the full lifecycle of building energy systems, from environmental assessment (life cycle assessment—LCA) to economic evaluation (life cycle cost analysis—LCC analysis).
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Renewable energy integration in HVAC systems for existing and new buildings;
- Heat pumps and high-temperature solutions for building retrofitting;
- 5th generation district heating and cooling (5GDHC) networks;
- Thermal energy storage in hybrid energy systems;
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis;
- Model predictive control (MPC) and AI for building energy management;
- Nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) and energy communities;
- Building energy simulation and digital twin approaches.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Mirko S. Komatina
Dr. Dimitrije Manić
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- renewable energy systems
- HVAC
- building energy modelling
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
- decarbonization
- zero energy buildings
- thermal energy storage
- building retrofitting
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