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Buildings account for more than 40% of total energy consumption in most countries and more than 55% of this energy is used by heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems. This significant energy demand, together with the global need to impose energy-efficiency measures, underlines the importance of selecting the most appropriate HVAC&R system in the early stages of a design process. However, this state-of-the-art study reveals that there is no review paper available in the open literature to critically analyse the existing methods for HVAC&R systems selection. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically review the body of knowledge on the adopted approach for HVAC&R systems selection. Based on the comprehensive literature review, the needs and gaps in this field are identified. It is revealed that the integration of probabilistic climate changes into the decision-making processes is one of the main areas that should be addressed in future studies. In addition, reliability and Life Cycle Cost of the systems, health and well-being, occupants’ satisfaction and indoor air quality are of paramount factors that should be taken into account in the decision-making process for HVAC&R systems selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern built environment has become more complex in terms of building types, environmental systems and use profiles. This complexity causes difficulties in terms of optimizing buildings energy design. In this circumstance, introducing a set of prototypical reference buildings, or so-called benchmark buildings, that are able to represent all or majority parts of the UK building stock may be useful for examination of the effect of national energy policies on building energy consumption. This study proposes a set of reference office buildings for England and Wales based on the information collected from the Non-Domestic Building Stock project and an intensive review of the existing building benchmarks. The proposed building benchmark comprises of 10 prototypical reference buildings, which in relation to built form and size, represent 95% of office buildings in England and Wales. This building benchmark provides a platform for those involved in building energy simulations to evaluate energy-efficiency measures and for policymakers to assess the influence of different building energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]