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Sustainability and Energy Performance of Buildings

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1154

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department Unit for Energy Efficiency, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (DUEE-ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: zero-energy building; building simulation; climatic data for energy applications; cost-optimal methodology; energy performance of buildings; energy certification of buildings; building envelope; EPBD standards
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Construction Engineering and Built Environment, Politecnico di Milano—Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: green communication; building codes; artificial intelligence; buildings plants; building retrofit; zero energy building; building simulation; energy performance of buildings; energy certification of buildings; building envelope; EPBD standards

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Construction Engineering and Built Environment, Politecnico di Milano—Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: energy and sustainable planning; energy certification of buildings; energy auditing and green energy auditing of buildings; zero-energy building design; smart buildings and smart cities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The assessment of energy performance in buildings is a critical aspect of achieving sustainability goals in the built environment. With buildings accounting for nearly 40% of global energy consumption, accurate and effective calculation methodologies are essential for reducing energy demand and minimizing environmental impact. Advances in energy performance assessment, high-performance buildings, and sustainability-driven design strategies are shaping the future of the sector, making it crucial to explore innovative approaches and methodologies.

Energy performance assessment methodologies vary across regions and standards, encompassing dynamic simulation models, steady-state approaches, and hybrid methods that integrate real-time monitoring and artificial intelligence. These methodologies are fundamental in evaluating building efficiency, optimizing operational energy use, and guiding policy frameworks toward zero-emission and high-performance buildings.

High-performance buildings incorporate advanced design principles, innovative materials, and cutting-edge technologies to minimize energy consumption while maximizing occupant comfort and well-being. By leveraging passive strategies, renewable energy integration, and smart building systems, these buildings set new benchmarks for sustainability and resilience in the built environment.

To achieve a truly sustainable building sector, it is necessary to bridge the gap between energy performance calculations and holistic sustainability assessments. Life-cycle thinking, including embodied energy considerations, circular economy principles, and life-cycle cost analysis, plays a crucial role in shaping the future of sustainable building practices.

This Special Issue invites contributions that explore methodologies for energy performance calculation, strategies for high-performance buildings, and their intersection with sustainability principles. We welcome original research articles, short communications, and reviews covering (but not limited to) the following topics:

  • Energy performance assessment methodologies and standards;
  • Dynamic and steady-state modeling approaches for buildings;
  • High-performance and zero-energy buildings;
  • Integration of renewable energy in building performance assessment;
  • Smart buildings and energy management systems;
  • Life-cycle assessment (LCA) of energy performance strategies;
  • Embodied energy and whole-building sustainability assessments;
  • Circular economy applications in high-performance buildings;
  • Case studies on energy-efficient and sustainable buildings;
  • Thermal comfort evaluation;
  • Energy audits of buildings and cost–benefit analysis (CBA) in the building renovation;
  • Decarbonization of the building stock;
  • Influence of technical building systems on environmental well-being;
  • The role of digital technologies (e.g., AI, BIM) in energy performance analysis.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and fostering discussions that advance methodologies for energy performance assessment and sustainability in the built environment.

Dr. Giovanni Murano
Dr. Annalisa Galante
Prof. Giuliano Dall'O'
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

  • energy performance assessment
  • building energy efficiency
  • high-performance buildings
  • sustainability in the built environment
  • dynamic and steady-state modeling
  • zero-energy buildings
  • renewable energy integration
  • smart buildings
  • life-cycle assessment (LCA)
  • embodied energy
  • circular economy in construction
  • energy audits
  • building decarbonization
  • thermal comfort evaluation
  • artificial intelligence (AI) in energy analysis
  • building information modeling (BIM)
  • building simulation
  • climatic data for energy applications
  • cost-optimal methodology
  • energy performance of buildings
  • energy certification of buildings
  • building envelope
  • EPBD standards

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3470 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Multi-Source Heat Pumps: A Regression-Based Approach to Energy Performance Estimation
by Reza Alijani and Fabrizio Leonforte
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6804; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156804 - 26 Jul 2025
Viewed by 305
Abstract
The growing demand for energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has increased interest in multi-source heat pumps as a sustainable solution. While extensive research has been conducted on heat pump performance prediction, there is still a lack of practical tools for [...] Read more.
The growing demand for energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has increased interest in multi-source heat pumps as a sustainable solution. While extensive research has been conducted on heat pump performance prediction, there is still a lack of practical tools for early-stage system evaluation. This study addresses that gap by developing regression-based models to estimate the performance of various heat pump configurations, including air-source, ground-source, and dual-source systems. A simplified performance estimation model was created, capable of delivering results with accuracy levels comparable to TRNSYS simulation outputs, making it a valuable and accessible tool for system evaluation. The analysis was conducted across nine climatic zones in Italy, considering key environmental factors such as air temperature, ground temperature, and solar irradiance. Among the tested configurations, hybrid systems like Solar-Assisted Ground-Source Heat Pumps (SAGSHP) achieved the highest performance, with SCOP values up to 4.68 in Palermo and SEER values up to 5.33 in Milan. Regression analysis confirmed strong predictive accuracy (R2 = 0.80–0.95) and statistical significance (p < 0.05), emphasizing the models’ reliability across different configurations and climatic conditions. By offering easy-to-use regression formulas, this study enables engineers and policymakers to estimate heat pump performance without relying on complex simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Performance of Buildings)
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30 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
Meeting 2030 Targets: Heat Pump Installation Scenarios in Italy
by Giovanni Murano, Francesca Caffari, Nicolandrea Calabrese and Marco Dall’Ombra
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5938; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135938 - 27 Jun 2025
Viewed by 665
Abstract
The study examines the role of heat pumps (HPs) in achieving the targets set by the Italian National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) for 2030, using official data and European-recognized calculation methodologies to quantify the renewable energy produced. Starting from the current [...] Read more.
The study examines the role of heat pumps (HPs) in achieving the targets set by the Italian National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) for 2030, using official data and European-recognized calculation methodologies to quantify the renewable energy produced. Starting from the current stock analysis—21 million HPs installed in 2022, providing 39 GWth of thermal capacity—the research outlines potential growth scenarios based on installation trends from the past three years: Scenario A assumes 2.5 million HPs/year, (b) 2.2 million/year, and (c) 1.6 million/year. Only Scenario A, the most ambitious, achieves full compliance with 2030 targets by ensuring over 4723 ktoe of renewable energy produced. An additional Scenario D is analyzed, based on the lowest annual installed capacity observed in the past three years but with a modified technology mix emphasizing air-to-water (A/W) and ground-source water-to-water (W/W) HPs. This scenario still achieves the 2030 goals, reaching 66.04 GWth and 4859 ktoe of renewable energy. The results confirm that technology choices will be strategic to meet the targets. The study also highlights the importance of stable incentive policies, proper development of the industrial supply chain, and a plan for the technological upgrading of the existing systems stock. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Performance of Buildings)
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