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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 44077

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Dr. Muhammad Asif

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Guest Editor

Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, KSA, Saudi Arabia
Interests: energy transition; decarbonization; renewable energy; energy management; sustainable buildings; life cycle assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue entitled “Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends” will contribute to the research concerning the broader areas of buildings and sustainable energy solutions. Papers are invited on topics including but not limited to sustainable and green buildings, renewable technologies for buildings, energy efficiency solutions, solar PV, solar thermal energy, daylighting, low-carbon technologies, zero-energy buildings, building standards and regulations, sustainable building rating systems, energy retrofitting, life-cycle analysis, and life-cycle costing. Papers on these topics can have a diverse scope (i.e., scientific advancement and technology innovation, policy development and implementation, industrial and commercial practices, and case studies).

Dr. Muhammad Asif
Guest Editor

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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.

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Keywords

buildings
energy
environment
sustainable buildings
green buildings
zero-energy buildings
smart buildings and cities
building retrofitting
building rating systems
energy efficiency
sustainability
sustainable development
renewable energy
low carbon technologies
energy storage
smart meters and smart grids
energy transition
energy policy
global warming
climate change
greenhouse gas emissions
energy resources

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2095 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Impact Analysis of Oil and Gas Pipe Repair Techniques Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

by M. Mobeen Shaukat, Farhan Ashraf, Muhammad Asif, Sulaman Pashah and Mohamed Makawi

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9499; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159499 - 2 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2328

Abstract

External corrosion is one of the major defects for oil and gas pipes. Multiple repair techniques are used for repairing such pipes, which have different environmental effects. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach has been used to investigate the environmental impacts of four commonly used repair techniques. The techniques are fillet welded patch (FWP), weld buildup (WB), mechanical clamp (MC), and non-metallic composite overwrap (NCO). The repair processes based on guidelines from repair standards are carried out on a defected pipe specimen and experimental data required for LCA are collected. The paper conducts a cradle-to-gate LCA study using SimaPro software. Six environmental impact categories are used for the comparison of repair processes. The results for a repair life of ten years indicate that non-metallic composite overwrap has the highest whereas the fillet welded patch has the lowest environmental impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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21 pages, 2755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Home System of Practices for Energy Use with K-Means Clustering Techniques

by Troy Malatesta and Jessica K. Breadsell

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9017; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159017 - 22 Jul 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2374

Abstract

Human behaviour is a major driver and determinant of household energy consumption, with routines and practices shaping daily energy profiles. These routines and practices are made up of individual lifestyles and other contextual factors that vary from home to home. Social and psychological theories aim to explain and describe how people consume resources in the home, which has resulted in the development of the home system of practice. This evaluates how occupants live and follow multiple routines which result in varying energy consumption practices. This paper develops a methodology to identify and support the concept of the home system of practice using a data analytical approach and link it to residential energy and distribution network management. This paper utilises k-means cluster analysis to identify these different home systems of practices and routines in energy use by using real-time energy consumption data from July 2019 to March 2021 from a living laboratory in Australia. The results of the analysis show the different daily energy profiles for each of the 39 households, with some homes observing large fluctuations and changes in the way they consume energy during the day. Specific homes were discussed as case studies in this paper focusing on linking the occupants’ contextual factors to their energy profiles. This variation is discussed in terms of the routines of the occupants and associated lifestyles that explain why some energy peaks occurred at different parts of the day and differed during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Australia. The paper conducts a comparison between these case studies to show how people’s lifestyles impact household energy consumption (and variation). These case studies investigated the heating and cooling practices of the occupants to demonstrate how they impact overall consumption. This variation is discussed in relation to energy management and prediction of when homes will consume energy to assist in net-zero energy developments and grid stabilisation operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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19 pages, 188087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Effect of High-Rise Buildings’ Mass Geometry on Energy Efficiency within the Climatic Variation of Egypt

by Mohanad El-Agami, Gehad Hanafy and Medhat Osman

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10529; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910529 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2389

Abstract

Energy conservation is recently the most important issue all over the world, including in Egypt. Recently, the built environment of Egypt has experienced a dramatic change in its buildings’ typology, with more interest in constructing high-rise buildings. This in turn creates high demand for energy, as high-rise buildings are considered to be one of the most energy-consuming types of buildings. Egypt has a wide variety in its climatic conditions, with seven different inhabited climatic regions, and a further one which is uninhabited. Therefore, integrating the energy efficiency of a building as a major design factor in the early design stages of such a type of buildings is important. This article is concerned with investigating the effect of high-rise buildings’ geometrical shape on the building’s energy consumption within the different climatic regions of Egypt. Four building shapes (square, circular, rectangular, and ellipse) are examined. The long axe of the models is oriented to the north (“the optimum orientation within all regions”), with a window-to-wall ratio (WWR) of 30%. The performance of these models is studied in seven cities representing the inhabited Egyptian climatic regions using simulation software, DesignBuilder, with the EnergyPlus simulation tool. Study findings revealed that adjusting the geometric form of the building significantly affects energy consumption and thermal comfort with climatic variation. The most compact shape, circular, was the most suitable geometrical shape in four regions out of seven. The ellipse shape was found to be the most suitable mass geometry within two other regions, while the square shape was found to be effective in only one region. The results of this research indicate that designers should not use the rectangular shape anywhere across Egypt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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24 pages, 7120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Attitudes and Approaches of Finnish Retrofit Industry Stakeholders toward Achieving Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings

by Sadaf Alam, Miimu Airaksinen and Risto Lahdelma

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7359; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137359 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2856

Abstract

Key stakeholders in industry are highly responsible for achieving energy performance targets. Particularly, this paper assesses the attitudes, approaches, and experiences of Finnish construction professionals regarding energy-efficient buildings, or nZEBs. A three-tier investigation was conducted including surveys and expert interviews with several stakeholders. The structure of this approach was informed by preliminary data and information available on the Finnish construction sector. The questionnaire showed that the stakeholders ranked energy efficiency and embodied energy/carbon as very important. The survey highlighted that the importance of the embodied carbon CO₂ in the materials is less important than the energy efficiency from many of the stakeholders’ points of view. “Energy efficiency” is very important for ESCOs, contractors, and facility managers followed by architects, HVAC engineers, and construction design engineers. Nevertheless, the opinions of architects ranked “embodied energy CO₂” as the most important regarding nZEB. When it comes to the importance of “running time emissions” toward nZEB, contractors and ESCO companies ranked it as 1 for importance followed by property owners (78%) and tenants (75%). It is very fascinating to see from the survey that “running time carbon emissions” has been ranked 1 (very important) by all stakeholders. This study will enable construction industry stakeholders to make provisions for overcoming the barriers, gaps, and challenges identified in the practices of the nZEB projects. It will also inform the formulation of policies that drive retrofit uptake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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24 pages, 24727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Energy Efficiency Performance and Cost-Benefit Analysis Achieving Net-Zero Energy Building Design: Case Studies of Three Representative Offices in Thailand

by Kittisak Lohwanitchai and Daranee Jareemit

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5201; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095201 - 6 May 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5365

Abstract

The concept of a zero energy building is a significant sustainable strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The challenges of zero energy building (ZEB) achievement in Thailand are that the design approach to reach ZEB in office buildings is unclear and inconsistent. In addition, its implementation requires a relatively high investment cost. This study proposes a guideline for cost-optimal design to achieve the ZEB for three representative six-story office buildings in hot and humid Thailand. The energy simulations of envelope designs incorporating high-efficiency systems are carried out using eQuest and daylighting simulation using DIALux evo. The final energy consumptions meet the national ZEB target but are higher than the rooftop PV generation. To reduce such an energy gap, the ratios of building height to width are proposed. The cost-benefit of investment in ZEB projects provides IRRs ranging from 10.73 to 13.85%, with payback periods of 7.2 to 8.5 years. The energy savings from the proposed designs account for 79.2 to 81.6% of the on-site energy use. The investment of high-performance glazed-windows in the small office buildings is unprofitable (NPVs = −14.77–−46.01). These research results could help architects and engineers identify the influential parameters and significant considerations for the ZEB design. Strategies and technical support to improve energy performance in large and mid-rise buildings towards ZEB goals associated with the high investment cost need future investigations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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20 pages, 2751 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How an Integration of Home Energy Management and Battery System Affects the Economic Benefits of Residential PV System Owners in Thailand

by Methee Srikranjanapert, Siripha Junlakarn and Naebboon Hoonchareon

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2681; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052681 - 2 Mar 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2889

Abstract

Although home energy management systems (HEMS) and batteries are part of the Thailand Smart Grid Master Plan, the financial feasibility and attractiveness of installing residential solar rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems with integration of the HEMS and battery have never been investigated. This study develops three scenarios comprising of an installation of only solar PV system, solar PV system with the HEMS, and solar PV system with integration of the HEMS and battery under the current net billing solar program for households and analyzes their financial feasibility and attractiveness by using economic measures. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed to analyze the impacts of critical parameters on the feasibility of these three scenarios. Findings indicate that the installation of a solar rooftop system with the HEMS provides the highest customer economics. Although the implementation of HEMs leads to an increase in energy exports, benefits from bill savings of lower electricity consumption by using the HEM are relatively high compared to the loss from energy exports. Therefore, in the short term, the government should promote the integration of HEMS with a PV system; however, the installation of a PV system with HEMS and battery in the residential sector should be promoted when battery cost decreases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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31 pages, 4080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determinant Factors of Electricity Consumption for a Malaysian Household Based on a Field Survey

by Boni Sena, Sheikh Ahmad Zaki, Hom Bahadur Rijal, Jorge Alfredo Ardila-Rey, Nelidya Md Yusoff, Fitri Yakub, Mohammad Kholid Ridwan and Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020818 - 15 Jan 2021

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5741

Abstract

Electricity-saving strategies are an essential solution to overcoming increasing global CO₂ emission and electricity consumption problems; therefore, the determinant factors of electricity consumption in households need to be assessed. Most previous studies were conducted in developed countries of subtropical regions that had different household characteristic factors from those in developing countries of tropical regions. A field survey was conducted on electricity consumption for Malaysian households to investigate the factors affecting electricity consumption that focused on technology perspective (building and appliance characteristics) and socio-economic perspective (socio-demographics and occupant behaviour). To analyse the determinant factors of electricity consumption, direct and indirect questionnaire surveys were conducted from November 2017 to January 2018 among 214 university students. Direct questionnaire surveys were performed in order to obtain general information that is easily answered by respondents. On the other hand, some questions such as electricity consumption and detailed information of appliances must be confirmed by the respondents’ parents or other household members through an indirect questionnaire survey. The results from multiple linear regression analyses of the survey responses showed that appliance characteristic factors were the main variables influencing electricity consumption and house characteristics were the least significant. Specifically, air conditioners, fluorescent lamps, and flat-screen TVs emerged as appliances with the most significant effect on electricity consumption. Occupant behaviour factors had a more significant influence than socio-demographic factors. The findings in this study can be used by policymakers to develop electricity-saving strategies in Malaysia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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15 pages, 1680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Assessment of Energy Retrofitting Educational Buildings: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia

by Mohammad B. Hamida, Wahhaj Ahmed, Muhammad Asif and Faris Abdullah Almaziad

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010179 - 27 Dec 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3877

Abstract

The buildings and construction sector accounts for the majority of the energy consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). For a sustainable future, energy consumption in the sector should be reduced and existing buildings need to be energy retrofitted. A number of studies present energy retrofitting of residential buildings in KSA; however, there is a lack of studies presenting retrofitting of educational buildings. Thus, the aim of this study is to adopt a BIM-based approach to assess Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) in a prototypical Government-built educational building in Dammam, KSA. The methodology consists of six prime steps, (1) case study data collection, (2) energy auditing, (3) proposing ECMs, (4) BIM model development, (5) energy assessment, and (6) economic assessment. The energy audit revealed several inefficiencies in the building construction and operation and four ECMs were proposed and simulated. It was found that annual energy consumption can be reduced by 22.7% in the educational building, and the investment for the four ECMs is paid back in 2.7 years only. Therefore, implementing the proposed ECMs is a viable option to energy retrofit such educational buildings in the country, and the presented BIM-based approach can be adopted to efficiently conduct the energy retrofitting process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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19 pages, 29829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Assessment of Rooftop PV Systems in Residential Buildings in Hot–Humid Climates

by Ammar Hamoud Ahmad Dehwah, Muhammad Asif, Ismail Mohammad Budaiwi and Adel Alshibani

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10060; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310060 - 2 Dec 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4594

Abstract

The application of renewable energy has been an integral part of the sustainability drive in the building sector and solar photovoltaic (PV) is one of the most effective technologies in this respect. The present study aims to investigate the prospects of solar PV in residential buildings in the hot–humid climatic conditions. The study discusses the utilization of building roofs for the application of PV in terms of potential hurdles and utilization factor (UF). Technical performance of PV systems has also been investigated in terms of power output as well as the energy saved as a result of the shading impact of panels for two types of residential units, apartments and villas. Investigation of 70 sample residential buildings reveals the average UF of 0.21 and 0.28 for apartments and villas, respectively. For the case study of apartment and villa residential units, roof UF has been found to be 13% and 15% with a respective PV output of 6079 kWh/year and 6162 kWh/year. Potential PV output at the city level has also been estimated. A sensitivity analysis has been conducted to evaluate the impact of various cost and design parameters on the viability of PV systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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Review

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25 pages, 4621 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics in Singapore: Status, Barriers, and Prospects

by Tianyi Chen, Yaning An and Chye Kiang Heng

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10160; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610160 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 10259

Abstract

Energy consumption enhancement has resulted in a rise in carbon dioxide emissions, followed by a notable greenhouse effect contributing to global warming. Globally, buildings consume one-third of the total energy due to the continued expansion of building areas caused by population growth. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) represent an effective technology to attain zero energy buildings (ZEBs) via solar energy use. This research begins with the tropical green building concept in Singapore associated with renewable energy and gives an overview of the potential of solar photovoltaic energy. Strategies for BIPV spread in Singapore are also provided. Considering both BIPV system life cycle assessment (LCA) and BIPV industry standards and recent developments, this research determines whether Singapore should adopt this technology. Although the BIPV product market has expanded regarding BIPV products, systems and projects, there remain certain barriers to BIPV adoption in Singapore. Additionally, future research directions for tropical BIPV applications are outlined. The Singapore BIPV system serves as an example for a number of other tropical countries facing comparable challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings and Sustainable Energy: Technologies, Policies, and Trends)

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