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Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals
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Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 16067

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gireesh Nair

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Interests: energy efficiency in buildings; renewable energy; smart building controls; diffusion of innovations
Prof. Dr. Thomas Olofsson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
Interests: building energy performance; energy end-use modelling; indoor air quality and indoor thermal comfort; building material investigations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several countries have adopted time-bounded climate and energy reduction targets. The climate impact of activities in the building sector is substantial. Energy efficiency (EE) improvements could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, improvements to the EE of buildings constitute an important strategy for achieving climate goals. EE strategies can be adopted at different scales, e.g., from the urban to the building component level. In order to improve energy efficiency in the building sector, it is important to target both new and existing buildings. This Special Issue invites the submission of research work on energy efficiency improvements in both existing and new buildings at different scales and from different perspectives with the objective of achieving climate goals.

We invite you to submit research papers on one or more of the following topics:

  • nearly zero-energy buildings and energy renovation of existing buildings;
  • energy efficiency improvements using smart building control technologies;
  • innovative materials for energy efficiency improvements and/or thermal comfort improvements;
  • ventilation strategies and heat recovery systems;
  • buildings as electricity and heat energy prosumers; 
  • energy reduction in buildings from an energy system perspective;
  • building energy simulations and advances in simulation tools;
  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the reduction of energy use in buildings;
  • innovative studies on the energy performance of buildings from a life cycle perspective;
  • review and policy papers on energy efficiency improvements in buildings;
  • building occupant energy use behaviour and perspectives on energy use and end-user decision-making processes towards the adoption of energy efficiency measures;
  • innovative business models for increasing the rate of adoption of energy efficiency measures and/or increasing the uptake of energy efficient renovations; and
  • studies on enhancing the energy performance of historic buildings .

Dr. Gireesh Nair
Prof. Dr. Thomas Olofsson
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 4315 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Environmental Loads in the Life Cycle of a Retail and Service Building
by Daniel Tomporowski, Robert Kasner, Wojciech Franus and Krzysztof Doerffer
Energies 2022, 15(9), 3144; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15093144 - 25 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1707
Abstract
In order to achieve the European Union’s climate and energy goals, investments are required, mainly in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and infrastructure. Buildings are responsible for almost half of total energy consumption, and nearly 80% of them are energy [...] Read more.
In order to achieve the European Union’s climate and energy goals, investments are required, mainly in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and infrastructure. Buildings are responsible for almost half of total energy consumption, and nearly 80% of them are energy and ecologically inefficient. The policy of European countries is increasingly more focused on facilities with the highest potential in the areas of energy and matter saving and the possibly circular economy. The aim of the work was to assess the environmental loads occurring in the life cycle of an existing retail and service building. The analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. By using the IMPACT 2002+ model, it has become possible to assess the impact of the life cycle of the studied facility on human health, environmental quality, climate change and raw material resources. The highest level of negative consequences in the above-mentioned areas was recorded for the life cycle with the disposal in the form of landfill storage. The operational stage was the stage in the life cycle that caused the most harmful impacts on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the ecological and energy consumption of resources, for example, by selecting the size and cubature of the facility for its function, maintaining good technical condition, introducing improvements in the usage processes or implementing solutions aimed at reducing media consumption. As a result of the conducted analyses, it can be noticed that in the future, the reduction in energy consumption in the operation of buildings will be of fundamental importance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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31 pages, 10944 KiB  
Article
Energy and Economic Efficiency of the Thermomodernization of an Educational Building and Reduction of Pollutant Emissions—A Case Study
by Beata Sadowska, Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak, Grzegorz Woroniak and Wiesław Sarosiek
Energies 2022, 15(8), 2886; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15082886 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1901
Abstract
The study presents an investigation of thermal energy consumption for heating in an educational building located in the north-eastern part of Poland in 2017–2020, after deep thermomodernization. An evaluation of the actual energy effects was made based on measurements carried out over a [...] Read more.
The study presents an investigation of thermal energy consumption for heating in an educational building located in the north-eastern part of Poland in 2017–2020, after deep thermomodernization. An evaluation of the actual energy effects was made based on measurements carried out over a 4-year operational period. They were compared with the results of theoretical calculations included in the energy audit and an attempt was made to describe the reasons for the discrepancies. The planned and achieved economic efficiency indicators were assessed and the amount of reduction of pollutant emissions was determined. The performed analysis allowed for an assessment of the impact of deep thermomodernization in terms of reducing heat energy consumption for central heating purposes, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2, SOx, NOx and benzo(a)pyrene to the atmosphere. The implementation of thermomodernization in buildings led to savings of about 43% in terms of heat energy consumption for heating and a reduction in pollutant emissions. The theoretical savings based on the audit were 50.4%. The obtained results show that deep thermomodernization contributes to the improvement of energy and ecological efficiency in educational buildings, however, without the possibility of using subsidies, the investment is unprofitable. All the obtained results were discussed with the available literature sources and have been summarized with appropriate conclusions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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14 pages, 6256 KiB  
Article
Simplified Thermal Performance Evaluation of a PCM-Filled Triple-Glazed Window under Arctic Climate Conditions
by Lucrezia Ravasio, Rajnish Kaur Calay and Raymond Riise
Energies 2021, 14(23), 8068; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14238068 - 2 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1952
Abstract
This paper evaluates the thermal performance of a triple-glazed glass window filled with a phase-change material (PCM) compared to the performance of a traditional triple-glazed window with air gaps. The chosen PCM was paraffin wax. A mathematical model to simulate heat transfer within [...] Read more.
This paper evaluates the thermal performance of a triple-glazed glass window filled with a phase-change material (PCM) compared to the performance of a traditional triple-glazed window with air gaps. The chosen PCM was paraffin wax. A mathematical model to simulate heat transfer within the system was presented. A commercially available software, COMSOL Multiphysics, was used to numerically solve the governing equations. The analysis was carried out for the representative days of different seasons using three types of paraffin wax (5, 10, and 15) that have different melting-temperature ranges. Particularly, the study considers the unique climatic conditions of the Arctic region. Results showed that by integrating a PCM into the cavity of triple-glazing, thermal performance during summer season of the window was enhanced, while for spring and autumn thermal performance was affected by the type of paraffin selected. The thermal performance of glass windows during winter did not change with PCM integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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43 pages, 14033 KiB  
Article
Aerial Thermographic Image-Based Assessment of Thermal Bridges Using Representative Classifications and Calculations
by Zoe Mayer, Julia Heuer, Rebekka Volk and Frank Schultmann
Energies 2021, 14(21), 7360; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14217360 - 5 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2424
Abstract
Since the middle of the 20th century many any buildings were built without any energy standards and still have a comparably poor energy quality. To obtain an overview of the current thermal quality of buildings in a whole city district, it may be [...] Read more.
Since the middle of the 20th century many any buildings were built without any energy standards and still have a comparably poor energy quality. To obtain an overview of the current thermal quality of buildings in a whole city district, it may be promising to work with thermographic images obtained by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Aerial thermography represents a fast and cost-efficient approach compared to traditional terrestrial thermography. In this paper, we describe an approach to finding thermal bridges on aerial thermographic images and characterizing them in terms of their risk of mold formation, energy losses, retrofit costs, and retrofit benefits. To identify thermal bridge types that can be detected reliably on aerial thermographic images, we use a dataset collected with a UAV in an urban district of the German city of Karlsruhe. We classify and characterize 14 relevant thermal bridge types for the German building cohorts of the 1950s and 1960s. Concerning the criterion of mold formation, thermal bridges of window components, basement ceiling slabs, balcony slabs, floor slabs, and attics are found to be particularly relevant to retrofit projects. Regarding energy savings, the retrofit of thermal bridges of window sills, window lintels, and attics shows high potential. The retrofit of attics seems to be less attractive, when also taking into account the necessary retrofit costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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23 pages, 4020 KiB  
Article
Effects of Positioning of Multi-Sensor Devices on Occupancy and Indoor Environmental Monitoring in Single-Occupant Offices
by Shoaib Azizi, Ramtin Rabiee, Gireesh Nair and Thomas Olofsson
Energies 2021, 14(19), 6296; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14196296 - 2 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3017
Abstract
The advancements in sensor and communication technologies drive the rapid developments in the applications of occupancy and indoor environmental monitoring in buildings. Currently, the installation standards for sensors are scarce and the recommendations for sensor positionings are very general. However, inadequate sensor positioning [...] Read more.
The advancements in sensor and communication technologies drive the rapid developments in the applications of occupancy and indoor environmental monitoring in buildings. Currently, the installation standards for sensors are scarce and the recommendations for sensor positionings are very general. However, inadequate sensor positioning might diminish the reliability of sensor data, which could have serious impacts on the intended applications such as the performance of demand-controlled HVAC systems and their energy use. Thus, there is a need to understand how sensor positioning may affect the sensor data, specifically when using multi-sensor devices in which several sensors are being bundled together. This study is based on the data collected from 18 multi-sensor devices installed in three single-occupant offices (six sensors in each office). Each multi-sensor device included sensors to measure passive infrared (PIR) radiation, temperature, CO2, humidity, and illuminance. The results show that the positions of PIR and CO2 sensors significantly affect the reliability of occupancy detection. The typical approach of positioning the sensors on the ceiling, in the middle of offices, may lead to relatively unreliable data. In this case, the PIR sensor in that position has only 60% accuracy of presence detection. Installing the sensors under office desks could increase the accuracy of presence detection to 84%. These two sensor positions are highlighted in sensor fusion analysis as they could reach the highest accuracy compared to other pairs of PIR sensors. Moreover, sensor positioning can affect various indoor environmental parameters, especially temperature and illuminance measurements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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Review

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20 pages, 384 KiB  
Review
A Review on Technical Challenges and Possibilities on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures in Heritage Buildings
by Gireesh Nair, Leo Verde and Thomas Olofsson
Energies 2022, 15(20), 7472; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15207472 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3956
Abstract
For heritage buildings, energy-efficient retrofitting cannot be applied with the same range of possibilities as with existing buildings. Applying such improvements to heritage buildings can be challenging due to their historic and/or cultural significance and non-standard construction methods. This paper reviews the technical [...] Read more.
For heritage buildings, energy-efficient retrofitting cannot be applied with the same range of possibilities as with existing buildings. Applying such improvements to heritage buildings can be challenging due to their historic and/or cultural significance and non-standard construction methods. This paper reviews the technical challenges and potential of applying energy efficient retrofit elements in heritage buildings. The retrofitting measures reviewed are draught-proofing, windows, insulation, ventilation, heating, solar photovoltaics and phase change materials. It is possible to significantly reduce energy use in heritage buildings with such retrofits. However, there is no universal way to apply energy-efficient retrofitting in heritage buildings, which is apparent in the literature, where case studies are prevalent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency Improvements in Buildings to Achieve Climate Goals)
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