Advanced Technologies in Building Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 5189

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Interests: building energy saving; indoor built environment; renewable energy utilization; carbon emission reduction in building sector
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Transportation Engineering, Guilin University Of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China
Interests: building simulation; radiant cooling system; building energy conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy consumption and carbon emissions in the building sector have become the focus of global attention under the goal of curbing global warming. However, many factors, such as building materials, envelopes, electromechanical system, etc., have a certain impact on the energy consumption, as well as carbon emissions, involving every stage in a building’s life cycles. This makes the mitigation of energy use and its environmental impacts complex. Through the innovation of energy conservation and carbon emission reduction technology, the improvement of energy efficiency and low-carbon performance in buildings has become a crucial research area.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to explore the advanced theories, technologies, and tools in the field of building energy efficiency and low-carbon performance against the background of carbon neutrality. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1)Building energy conservation;

(2)The evaluation of building energy efficiency and low-carbon performance;

(3)The low-carbon technology of green buildings throughout a building’s life cycle;

(4)Renewable energy utilization;

(5)Bridging the low-carbon development of buildings and urban renewal;

(6)The low-carbon performance of historical buildings;

(7)Technology for zero-carbon building and its application.

Dr. Xiaoping Li
Dr. Rong Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Buildings 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 2600 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 conservation
  • carbon emission
  • energy use efficiency
  • low carbon
  • carbon neutrality
  • renewable energy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4734 KiB  
Article
Energy-Saving Optimization of HVAC Systems Using an Ant Lion Optimizer with Enhancements
by Bin Hu, Yuhu Guo, Wenjun Huang, Jianxiang Jin, Mingxuan Zou and Zhikun Zhu
Buildings 2024, 14(9), 2842; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092842 - 9 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1372
Abstract
The complex and time-varying external climate conditions and multi-equipment variable coupling characteristics make it challenging to optimize the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in existing buildings effectively. Additionally, the intricate energy exchange processes within HVAC systems present difficulties in developing accurate [...] Read more.
The complex and time-varying external climate conditions and multi-equipment variable coupling characteristics make it challenging to optimize the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in existing buildings effectively. Additionally, the intricate energy exchange processes within HVAC systems present difficulties in developing accurate and generalizable energy consumption models. In response to these challenges, this paper proposes an Ant Lion Optimizer with Enhancements (ALOE) that can dynamically adjust the number of populations and the movement trend to improve the convergence speed and optimization ability, and randomly adjust the movement amplitude to enhance the local optimal escape ability. Finally, a case study of an office building in Hangzhou was carried out, and an overall energy consumption model of the HVAC system based on parameter identification and a general mechanism model was established. In this model, the energy-saving optimization effects of various advanced swarm intelligence optimization algorithms were compared. The experimental results demonstrate that under high, medium, and low load conditions, the ALOE algorithm achieves energy-saving rates of 28.16%, 28.26%, and 24.85%, respectively, the overall energy-saving rate for the entire day reaches 29.06%, which indicates the ALOE has significant superiority. This work will contribute to the development of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Building Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction)
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12 pages, 3589 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Carbon Emission Reduction Potential of Different Star Green Science and Technology Museums in Cold Regions of China
by Yitong Li, Zhe Tian, Haizhu Zhou, Xiaoping Li and Xionglei Cheng
Buildings 2024, 14(9), 2621; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092621 - 24 Aug 2024
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Low-carbon development in the field of buildings is an important means to achieve the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”. In public buildings, the operation of science and technology museum buildings (TMB) has high carbon emissions, and the application of green building [...] Read more.
Low-carbon development in the field of buildings is an important means to achieve the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”. In public buildings, the operation of science and technology museum buildings (TMB) has high carbon emissions, and the application of green building technology for energy saving and carbon reduction has great potential. In this paper, typical TMB in cold areas are selected and built, and energy consumption is simulated by Designbuilder. The calculation boundaries and carbon emission factors of carbon emissions are set according to current standards, and the carbon reduction potential of green science and technology museum buildings (GTMB) under different levels is compared. The results show that compared with the benchmark building based on GB 55015-2021, the carbon emission of the GTMB is significantly reduced, and the carbon emission reduction rates of silver, gold, and platinum TMB are 7.9%, 13.4%, and 29.6%, respectively. Based on the existing optimization design of passive measures such as natural ventilation and natural lighting, the GTMB should pay more attention to the realization of its optimal control strategy and automatic control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Building Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction)
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28 pages, 3368 KiB  
Article
Study on Life-Cycle Carbon Footprints and an Uncertainty Analysis of Mega Sporting Events: An Analysis in China
by Hongyan Wang, Jibang Tian, Yanfeng Li, Yang Wang, Yao Lu, Jianye Zhang, Chentong Lei and Chong Li
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2510; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082510 - 14 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
This study proposes a model for the quantitative evaluation of the life-cycle carbon footprints of large sporting events and the uncertainties related to them. The model was used to analyze the case of a mega sporting event in Beijing, China. First, the quantitative [...] Read more.
This study proposes a model for the quantitative evaluation of the life-cycle carbon footprints of large sporting events and the uncertainties related to them. The model was used to analyze the case of a mega sporting event in Beijing, China. First, the quantitative model for the evaluation of the carbon footprints of mega sporting events includes a preparation stage, a holding stage, and an end stage. These stages consider the energy and resources used for construction, operation, transportation, catering, and accommodation. Second, this study proposes a prediction model using model-based and simulation-based methods to address the difficulty of obtaining traffic activity. Third, a semi-quantitative method that combines a data quality indicator and stochastic simulation is adopted for the uncertainty analysis of mega sporting events. Finally, a case study is used to indicate that the preparation stage of a mega sporting event accounts for the highest CO2 emissions at 92.1%, followed by 7.5% in the holding stage and 0.4% in the end stage. The total life-cycle CO2 emissions of a sustainable scenario of a mega sporting event in Beijing amount to 205,080.3 t CO2e, and the per capita CO2 emissions during the event’s holding stage amount to 0.26 t CO2e/person. The uncertainty in the input parameters is 0.0617, indicating that the uncertainty of the model is low, and the reliability of the results is high. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Building Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction)
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10 pages, 2175 KiB  
Article
Research on High-Quality Carbon Reduction Pathways for Green Buildings under the Dual Carbon Background
by Xing Wei, Zhi He, Yitong Li and Xiaoping Li
Buildings 2024, 14(7), 2082; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072082 - 7 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1299
Abstract
Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategies bring both opportunities and challenges to the development of green buildings. In this context, the development of high-quality green buildings requires a focus on improving carbon reduction effects throughout their entire lifespan. Based on a systematic review [...] Read more.
Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategies bring both opportunities and challenges to the development of green buildings. In this context, the development of high-quality green buildings requires a focus on improving carbon reduction effects throughout their entire lifespan. Based on a systematic review of the achievements and existing problems in the development of green buildings in China over the past thirty years, this article benchmarks the new trends in green building standards in developed countries abroad, dissects the new requirements for the development of green buildings in China under the new situation, and proposes a high-quality carbon reduction pathways from four aspects: theoretical research, policy systems, technical systems, and software platforms. Finally, it proposes implementation suggestions for collaborative development from four dimensions: theoretical methods for calculating carbon emissions, green finance policies, a full-process carbon reduction technology system, and carbon emission accounting tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Building Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction)
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