Energy Systems in Buildings and Occupant Comfort

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of energy systems in buildings to promote occupant comfort with low energy consumption levels is an important multidisciplinary topic for the future development of more sustainable occupied spaces. The objective of this new multidisciplinary topic is to collect innovative research studies on energy systems for buildings and examine their impact on occupants’ comfort. Innovative experimental studies, numerical simulations, and state-of-the-art and other original research findings are invited. For this multidisciplinary topic, we are particularly interested in inviting papers focusing on, but not limited to, the following: (i) energy systems in buildings; (ii) sustainable and renewable energy applications; (iii) HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) systems in occupied spaces; (iv) natural and mechanical ventilation systems; (v) occupant thermal comfort, local thermal discomfort and indoor air quality; (vi) passive and active strategies in buildings; (vii) energy efficiency in buildings; (viii) design and construction strategies for buildings. Studies of advances in numerical simulation and experimental techniques are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Eusébio Z. E. Conceição
Prof. Dr. Hazim B. Awbi
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Buildings buildings	3.1	4.4	2011	15.1 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
CivilEng civileng	2.0	4.0	2020	21.7 Days	CHF 1400	Submit
Energies energies	3.2	7.3	2008	16.8 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	7.7	2009	17.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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All Buildings CivilEng Energies Sustainability

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20 pages, 2073 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Maintenance as an Opportunity to Improve Residential Buildings’ Energy Efficiency: Evaluation of Life-Cycle Costs

by Wilamy Valadares de Castro, Cláudia Ferreira, Joana Barrelas, Pedro Lima Gaspar, Maria Paula Mendes and Ana Silva

Buildings 2026, 16(8), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16081551 - 15 Apr 2026

Viewed by 449

Abstract

Maintenance is crucial for the durability of the existing building stock and should be perceived as an opportunity to improve the built environment. The implementation of thermal retrofitting measures to the building’s envelope enhances global energy performance, which is economically and environmentally beneficial. [...] Read more.

Maintenance is crucial for the durability of the existing building stock and should be perceived as an opportunity to improve the built environment. The implementation of thermal retrofitting measures to the building’s envelope enhances global energy performance, which is economically and environmentally beneficial. Building-related energy consumption during the operation phase is key to tackling carbon neutrality and climate change. Introducing thermal retrofitting within the context of maintenance planning can be cost-optimizing, as it reveals the technical–economic synergy between building pathology and energy efficiency. Maintenance activities and energy demand throughout the building’s service life influence life-cycle costs (LCCs). Decision-making based on LCC awareness is an advantage for owners. This study discusses the impact of implementing an optimal retrofitting solution (ORS), according to different maintenance strategies, on the LCC of an existing single-family home. The ORS comprises the following measures: adding an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) to external walls, extruded polystyrene (XPS) panels to the roof, and replacing the existing windows with others with improved thermal performance. The three maintenance strategies involve different complexity levels, concerning the type, number and timing of activities. Moving beyond isolated assessments, this study develops an integrated framework that bridges based on two existing background methodologies, involving optimal thermal retrofitting and condition-based maintenance planning, which, combined with new research, enable the assessment of maintenance, energy and global LCC for a time horizon of 100 years. The evaluation of energy-related LCC is based on simulations. The results indicate that these costs represent the majority of the global LCC. The ORS has a considerable positive impact on energy and global LCC. Adopting a maintenance strategy characterized by fewer planned activities and an earlier schedule of replacement interventions, which determines the implementation of the retrofitting measures, is better in terms of LCC savings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Energy Systems in Buildings and Occupant Comfort)

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14 pages, 4696 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Regulatory Gap Versus Performance Reality: Thermal Assessment of a Social Housing Module in the Peruvian Andes

by Emilio Palomino-Olivera, Miriam Ancco-Peralta, Víctor Salas Velásquez, Enrique Mejia-Solis and Edwin Gudiel Rodriguez

Buildings 2025, 15(24), 4401; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244401 - 5 Dec 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

In high-altitude regions of the Global South, social housing programs are essential for mitigating vulnerability to low temperatures, but their standardized designs often fail to meet thermal performance codes. This study evaluates a “Sumaq Wasi” adobe housing module in the Peruvian Andes (Kunturkanki, [...] Read more.

In high-altitude regions of the Global South, social housing programs are essential for mitigating vulnerability to low temperatures, but their standardized designs often fail to meet thermal performance codes. This study evaluates a “Sumaq Wasi” adobe housing module in the Peruvian Andes (Kunturkanki, 4237 m a.s.l.) during the 2023 frost season. We comparatively applied the 2014 and 2022 draft versions of the Peruvian standard EM.110 to assess the building envelope’s thermal transmittance and condensation risk, benchmarking monitored indoor temperatures against adaptive comfort models. The results revealed widespread non-compliance with thermal transmittance limits, especially for the roof and floor, although condensation risk was low. While indoor temperatures failed to meet conventional standards, they aligned with regionally adapted comfort ranges. We conclude that the standardized module design is insufficient for local climatic demands and argue that social housing policies must evolve, balancing regulatory stringency with context-aware bioclimatic design to be effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Energy Systems in Buildings and Occupant Comfort)

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28 pages, 4842 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Cooling Effects of Roof Greenings at Residential Buildings—Consideration of a Hydraulic Connection to the Interior

by Andreas Ratka, Wolfgang Ernst and Matthias Wörlein

CivilEng 2025, 6(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/civileng6040060 - 10 Nov 2025

Viewed by 1193

Abstract

Within the scope of this article is the presentation of a modelling and measurement approach for the effects of roof greenings and the application of the approach to evaluate the influence of roof greenings upon the thermal conditions inside a typical residential building. [...] Read more.

Within the scope of this article is the presentation of a modelling and measurement approach for the effects of roof greenings and the application of the approach to evaluate the influence of roof greenings upon the thermal conditions inside a typical residential building. It is shown that overheating in summer can be reduced, and thermal comfort for inhabitants can be increased. The cooling is caused by the transpiration of plants and by the evaporation of water from the substrate. Other relevant physical effects are the shading of plants and the increase in the heat capacity of the building. In state-of-the-art buildings, a layer with a high insulating effect is incorporated into the envelope. This leads to the effect that a huge fraction of the cooling power is taken from the outside of the building and only a smaller part is taken from the inside. In order to mitigate this decoupling, a hydraulic connection between the greening and the interior of the building is introduced. To evaluate the effect of the inside cooling, the difference in the number of yearly hours with overheating in residential buildings is estimated. In addition, the reduction in energy demand for the climatisation of a typical residential building is calculated. The used methods are as follows: (1) Performance of laboratory and free field measurements. (2) Simulation of a typical residential building, using a validated approach. In summary, it can be said that green roofs, in particular with hydraulic connections, can significantly increase the interior thermal comfort and potentially reduce the energy required for air conditioning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Energy Systems in Buildings and Occupant Comfort)

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