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Energies
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Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings
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Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 14991

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ludovico Danza

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Construction Technologies Institute of the National Research Council of Italy (ITC–CNR), Via Lombardia 49, San Giuliano Milanese, 20098 Milan, Italy
Interests: energy efficiency; zero-energy building; indoor environmental quality; sustainable buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lorenzo Belussi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Construction Technologies Institute of the National Research Council of Italy (ITC–CNR), Via Lombardia 49, San Giuliano Milanese, 20098 Milan, Italy
Interests: energy efficiency; zero-energy building; indoor environmental quality; sustainable buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

In recent years, new paradigms have influenced buildings’ design towards sustainable and highly efficient constructions. Zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) are the current challenge, which should be appropriately addressed with a holistic approach to achieve excellent indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy efficiency levels. These aims can be met by cutting energy consumption through designing buildings with innovative materials, components, HVAC, and renewable energy sources and whose operation must be deeply analyzed. Only an integrated design allows balancing the technical choices made and the overall comfort conditions from different points of view (e.g., thermal, visual, acoustics, and indoor air quality). 

I cordially invite you to submit your manuscript to this Special Issue. 

Thank you very much!

Dr. Ludovico Danza
Dr. Lorenzo Belussi
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. Energies 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 efficiency
  • efficient solutions
  • zero-energy buildings
  • indoor environmental quality
  • thermal comfort
  • visual comfort
  • building acoustics
  • indoor air quality
  • building performance
  • innovative building materials
  • heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
  • renewable energy sources
  • smart readiness

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2108 KiB  
Article
Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Nanostructure-Based Asymmetric Light Transmission Interfaces for Solar Concentrator Applications
by Vincent Oliveto, Michael Hughes, Duncan E. Smith and Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc
Energies 2022, 15(21), 8175; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15218175 - 2 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1682
Abstract
Research in asymmetric light transmission interfaces has been recently gaining traction. While traditionally considered for optical circuitry applications, there is a new interest to use these interfaces in luminescent solar concentrators. Previous studies have shown that applying them to the top surface of [...] Read more.
Research in asymmetric light transmission interfaces has been recently gaining traction. While traditionally considered for optical circuitry applications, there is a new interest to use these interfaces in luminescent solar concentrators. Previous studies have shown that applying them to the top surface of a concentrator could mitigate surface losses. This paper presents experimental results for proof-of-concept asymmetric light transmission interfaces that may have potential applications in luminescent solar concentrators. The interfaces and the underneath substrate were created in a single step from polydimethylsiloxane using silicon molds fabricated on <100> wafers via anisotropic wet etching. The resulting structures were pyramidal in shape. Large surface areas of nanostructures repeating at 800 nm, 900 nm, and 1000 nm were tested for backward and forward transmission using a spectrometer. Results showed a 21%, 10%, and 0% average transmissivity difference between the forward and backward directions for each periodicity, respectively. The trends seen experimentally were confirmed numerically via COMSOL simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings)
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25 pages, 11057 KiB  
Article
A Novel Bio-Architectural Temporary Housing Designed for the Mediterranean Area: Theoretical and Experimental Analysis
by Roberto Bruno, Piero Bevilacqua, Antonino Rollo, Francesco Barreca and Natale Arcuri
Energies 2022, 15(9), 3243; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15093243 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
Energy performances of an innovative Temporary Housing Unit (THU), made of natural materials and developed for the Mediterranean area, were determined. Cork panels limit winter transmission losses, whereas bio-PCMs were applied to reduce cooling needs properly. Assuming a split system for air-conditioning purposes, [...] Read more.
Energy performances of an innovative Temporary Housing Unit (THU), made of natural materials and developed for the Mediterranean area, were determined. Cork panels limit winter transmission losses, whereas bio-PCMs were applied to reduce cooling needs properly. Assuming a split system for air-conditioning purposes, simulations in EnergyPlus allowed for identifying the optimal configuration that minimizes the annual electric demand. Bio-PCM melting temperatures, locations inside the external walls and the PCM quantities were varied. An ideal melting temperature of 23 °C was identified, whereas a double PCM layer uniformly distributed in the external walls is recommended, mainly for the limitation of the cooling demands. Negligible differences in electric requirements have been observed between the continuous and the scheduled functioning of the split system. A PV generator installed on the available roof surface allows for covering the electric demands satisfactorily. Experimental tests carried out in a climatic chamber have allowed for determining the dynamic thermal performance of the optimized panel by considering variable external conditions. Results show how the considered PCM in summer is able to delay and attenuate the indoor air temperature peaks considerably, confirming the crucial role of bio-PCM to reduce cooling demands, in line with the simulation results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings)
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18 pages, 2341 KiB  
Article
On the Built-Environment Quality in Nearly Zero-Energy Renovated Schools: Assessment and Impact of Passive Strategies
by Michele Zinzi, Francesca Pagliaro, Stefano Agnoli, Fabio Bisegna and Domenico Iatauro
Energies 2021, 14(10), 2799; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14102799 - 13 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a crucial issue in school buildings, because of the conditions that pupils and students are exposed to. From this assumption, potentialities of retrofit actions with Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) targets were analyzed in existing school buildings, focusing on [...] Read more.
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a crucial issue in school buildings, because of the conditions that pupils and students are exposed to. From this assumption, potentialities of retrofit actions with Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) targets were analyzed in existing school buildings, focusing on the impact of such measures of IEQ. Numerical analyses in a transient regime for a typical school building were carried out to assess the impacts on the thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The study took into account several building configurations and three reference cities. The results showed severe overheating risks in retrofitted schools: the operative temperature increased by several degrees with respect to the existing configuration, leading to thermal discomfort for a relevant part of the observation period. Passive techniques, namely external solar protection devices and night ventilative cooling, were applied to assess their mitigation potential. Results showed that the combination of the two solutions restored the pre-retrofit performance. CO2 levels were found to be too high for naturally ventilated buildings, regardless of the building configuration; acceptable levels might be reached only with long opening times of windows, which are unrealistic for real building operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings)
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28 pages, 8621 KiB  
Article
An Open-Source Monte Carlo Ray-Tracing Simulation Tool for Luminescent Solar Concentrators with Validation Studies Employing Scattering Phosphor Films
by Duncan E. Smith, Michael D. Hughes, Bhakti Patel and Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc
Energies 2021, 14(2), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14020455 - 15 Jan 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3946
Abstract
Luminescent solar concentrators enhance the power output of solar cells through wave-guided luminescent emission and have great potential as building-integrated photovoltaics. Luminescent solar concentrators with a variety of geometries and absorbing–emitting materials have been reported in the literature. As the breadth of available [...] Read more.
Luminescent solar concentrators enhance the power output of solar cells through wave-guided luminescent emission and have great potential as building-integrated photovoltaics. Luminescent solar concentrators with a variety of geometries and absorbing–emitting materials have been reported in the literature. As the breadth of available experimental configurations continues to grow, there is an increasing need for versatile Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation tools to analyze the performance of these devices for specific applications. This paper presents the framework for a Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation tool that can be used to analyze a host of three-dimensional geometries. It incorporates custom radiative transport models to consider the effects of scattering from luminescent media, while simultaneously modeling absorption and luminescent emission. The model is validated using experimental results for three-dimensional planar and wedge-shaped luminescent solar concentrators employing scattering phosphor films. Performance was studied as a function of length, wavelength, and the angle of incidence of incoming light. The data for the validation studies and the code (written using the Python programming language) associated with the described model are publically available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings)
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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 3477 KiB  
Article
Climate Change Effects on Belgian Households: A Case Study of a Nearly Zero Energy Building
by Shady Attia and Camille Gobin
Energies 2020, 13(20), 5357; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205357 - 14 Oct 2020
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4099
Abstract
Overheating in residential building is a challenging problem that causes thermal discomfort, productivity reduction, and health problems. This paper aims to assess the climate change impact on thermal comfort in a Belgian reference case. The case study represents a nearly zero energy building [...] Read more.
Overheating in residential building is a challenging problem that causes thermal discomfort, productivity reduction, and health problems. This paper aims to assess the climate change impact on thermal comfort in a Belgian reference case. The case study represents a nearly zero energy building that operates without active cooling during summer. The study quantifies the impact of climate change on overheating risks using three representative concentration pathway (RCP) trajectories for greenhouse gas concentration adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Building performance analysis is carried out using a multizone dynamic simulation program EnergyPlus. The results show that bioclimatic and thermal adaptation strategies, including adaptive thermal comfort models, cannot suppress the effect of global warming. By 2050, zero energy buildings will be vulnerable to overheating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Solutions and Indoor Environmental Quality in Zero-Energy Buildings)
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