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The provision of sustainable housing should factor energy efficiency, the use of sustainable building methods and materials and address the current associated barriers. This consideration triggered an ongoing study in UK which has so far conducted a bibliometric analysis of 275 papers using the VOSviewer software. More papers have been published in the last 5 years compared to the previous 15, and the UK is less engaged in successful collaborations in comparison to other economically developed nations. The lesser use of innovation in the UK has been identified. Also, the uses of sustainable methods and materials in residential housing are not fully exploited for achieving energy efficiency. A future research direction emerging is the potential to study the combined impact of using innovative materials and methods to achieve greater energy efficiency in UK housing provision. Through technological innovations and the need to move from fossil fuels (for example, through the use of heat pumps) a new approach can move the UK closer to achieving net-zero in housing provision and operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy saving in buildings is essential as buildings' operational energy use constitutes 30% of global energy consumption. Urban building energy modeling (UBEM) effectively understands urban energy consumption. This paper applied UBEM to assess the potential of peak demand reduction and energy saving in a mixed-use community, using 955 residential buildings, 35 office buildings and 7 hotels in Shenzhen, China, as a case study. The building type and period were collected based on the GIS dataset. Then, the baseline models were generated by the UBEM tool—AutoBPS. Five scenarios were analyzed: retrofit-window, retrofit-air conditioner (AC), retrofit-lighting, rooftop photovoltaic (PV), and demand response. The five scenarios replaced the windows, enhanced the AC, upgraded the lighting, covered 60% of the roof area with PV, and had a temperature reset from 17:00 to 23:00, respectively. The results show that using retrofit-windows is the most effective scenario for reducing peak demand at 19.09%, and PV reduces energy use intensity (EUI) best at 29.96%. Demand response is recommended when further investment is not desired. Retrofit-lighting is suggested for its low-cost, low-risk investment, with the payback period (PBP) not exceeding 4.54 years. When the investment is abundant, retrofit-windows are recommended for public buildings, while PV is recommended for residential buildings. The research might provide practical insights into energy policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most significant solutions suggested for estimating energy consumption and cooling load, one can refer to enhancing energy efficiency in non-residential and residential buildings. A structure's characteristics must be considered when estimating how much heating and cooling is required. To design and develop energy-efficient buildings, it can be helpful to research the characteristics of connected structures, such as the kinds of cooling and heating systems needed to ensure sui interior air quality. As an important part of energy consumption and demand of buildings, the assessment of cooling load conditions from the envelope of large buildings has not been comprehensively understood yet. In the present paper, a new conceptual system has been developed to anticipate cooling load in the sector of residential buildings. Also, the paper briefly describes the major models of the developed system to maintain continuity and concentrate on the prediction model of the cooling load. To predict cooling load, authors have modelled two methods of artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in conjunction with teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO). This article aims to illustrate how artificial intelligence (AI) approaches play an essential role in addressing the mentioned necessity and help estimate the optimal design parameters for various stations. The value of the multiple determination coefficient is also determined. The values of the training R² (coefficient of multiple determination) are 0.96446 and 0.97585 for TLBO-MLP and TLBO-ANFIS in the training stage and 0.95855 and 0.9721 in the testing stage, respectively, with an unknown dataset which is acceptable. The training RMSE values for TLBO-MLP and TLBO-ANFIS are 0.0685 and 0.11176 for training and 0.07074 and 0.12035 for testing, respectively, for the unknown dataset, which is acceptable. The lowest RMSE value and the higher R² value indicate the favourable accuracy of the TLBO-MLP technique. According to the high value of R² (97%) and the low value of RMSE, TLBO-MLP can predict residential buildings' cooling load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term load forecasting plays a crucial role in managing the energy consumption of buildings in cities. Accurate forecasting enables residents to reduce energy waste and facilitates timely decision-making for power companies' energy management. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid forecasting model designed to predict load series in multiple households. Our proposed method integrates multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD), the whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and a temporal fusion transformer (TFT) to perform one-step forecasts. MVMD is utilized to decompose the load series into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), extracting characteristics at distinct scales. We use sample entropy to determine the appropriate number of decomposition levels and the penalty factor of MVMD. The WOA is utilized to optimize the hyperparameters of MVMD-TFT to enhance its overall performance. We generate two distinct cases originating from BCHydro. Experimental results show that our method has achieved excellent performance in both cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing building energy consumption is of paramount significance in sustainability and energy efficiency (EE) studies. The development of an accurate EE prediction model is pivotal for optimizing energy resources and facilitating effective building planning. Traditional physical modeling approaches are encumbered by high complexity and protracted modeling cycles. In this paper, we introduce a novel evolutionary dendritic neural regression (EDNR) model tailored to forecasting residential building EE. Acknowledging the vast landscape and complexity of the EDNR weight space, coupled with the inherent susceptibility of traditional optimization algorithms to local optima, we propose a complex network-guided strategy-based differential evolution algorithm for training the EDNR model. This strategy adeptly strikes a balance between exploration and exploitation during the search process, significantly enhancing the predictive and generalization capacities of EDNR. To our knowledge, this study represents the inaugural application of dendritic neural regression in real-world prediction scenarios. Extensive experimental findings demonstrate the efficacy of EDNR in accurately predicting building EE with commendable performance. Furthermore, the results of two nonparametric statistical tests affirm the validity and stability of EDNR. Consequently, our proposed methodology exhibits high potential and competitiveness in machine learning applications within the energy domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to research of the impact of the limited heat source capacity on indoor temperature and energy consumption in serial nZEB residential buildings. This is an innovative aspect as it explores the potential design simplification for different locations, allowing for cost optimization and quicker construction timelines. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of limited heat source capacity by utilizing thermal mass and optimizing the ventilation operation. Numerical results demonstrate that incorporating thermal mass increases heating energy consumption by up to 1%. The study addresses the impact of limited heating capacity on indoor temperatures and the need to manage ventilation's impact during peak temperatures using simulation software IDA ICE. The study reveals that a limited heating capacity reduces energy consumption up to 2.6%, but may result in lower indoor temperatures. By optimizing ventilation strategies, energy consumption can be reduced from 2.4% to 4.4% compared to the suboptimal solution, and from 2.8% to 6.5% compared to the initial case. Parametric analysis reveals optimal ventilation operation change-over point at an outdoor temperature of −17 °C during winter. The research provides practical recommendations for adjusting heating schedules, selecting appropriate heating capacities and implementing optimal ventilation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a systematic analysis of energy savings and cost benefits associated with several options for integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The primary goal of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of achieving optimal net-zero energy (NZE) designs for residential buildings in Australia. Specifically, the analysis combines a series of sensitivity analyses and multi-objective optimizations to account for a wide range of design strategies for detached homes in four cities representing different Australian climates. The results indicate that not only are NZE designs technically feasible for all the considered Australian cities, but they are also highly cost-effective. This cost-effectiveness is attributed to the lower installation costs of rooftop PV systems as well as the beneficial interactive effects of proven energy efficiency strategies. Indeed, it is found that the deployment costs of rooftop PV systems can be recovered in less than 4 years. Moreover, the addition of thermal insulation in walls and ceilings can reduce both HVAC capacities and annual energy end-use by up to 59%. Based on an optimization-based design, NZE homes in Australia can have lower construction costs and, ultimately, lower life cycle costs than dwellings built to meet current energy efficiency standards based primarily on stringent building envelope thermal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore the rehabilitation strategies for multi-family dwellings on the level of function and techniques. The study employs its own methods of analysis using a sample of selected cases as a reference. Nearly 20% of EU buildings will have to be renovated by 2023, as almost 40% of the existing houses were built before 1980. The environmental impact of construction is among the highest among industrial activities due to the high consumption of resources and the generation of low-value waste at the construction and demolition stages. One way to reduce the environmental impact in this sector is to intervene in the building process, optimising the use of resources and waste generation. The principal objective of refurbishments is to reduce household energy consumption. However, the renovations in the housing sector should not be limited to energy considerations; the functional and technical aspects should also be considered. A new refurbishment model is necessary to focus on providing and improving the habitability of the housing stock and reducing the environmental impact by optimising the use of resources and waste generation. To achieve this, the renovations should be carefully monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a comprehensive methodology for creating diverse layout generation configurations, aiming to address limitations in existing building optimization studies that rely on simplistic hypothetical buildings. This study's objective was to achieve an optimal balance between minimizing the energy use intensity (EUI) in kWh/m2, maximizing the views percentages to the outdoor (VPO), achieving spatial daylight autonomy (sDA), and minimizing annual sunlight exposure (ASE). To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the simulation, the research included calibration and validation processes using the Ladybug and Honeybee plugins, integrated into the Grasshopper platform. These processes involved comparing the model's performance against an existing real-world case. Through more than 1500 iterations, the study extracted three multi-regression equations that enabled the calculation of EUI in kWh/m2. These equations demonstrated the significant influence of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and space proportions (SP) on the EUI. By utilizing these multi-regression equations, we were able to fine-tune the design process, pinpoint the optimal configurations, and make informed decisions to minimize energy consumption and enhance the sustainability of residential buildings in hot arid climates. The findings indicated that 61% of the variability in energy consumption can be attributed to changes in the WWR, as highlighted in the first equation. Meanwhile, the second equation suggested that around 27% of the variability in energy consumption can be explained by alterations in space proportions, indicating a moderate correlation. Lastly, the third equation indicated that approximately 89% of the variability in energy consumption was associated with changes in the SP and WWR, pointing to a strong correlation between SP, WWR, and energy consumption. The proposed method is flexible to include new objectives and variables in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Research is the property of Sultan Qaboos University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Building design optimization is a highly complex problem, requiring long computational running processes because of the many options that exist when a building is being designed. This paper introduces an integrated approach through which to perform this optimization within an acceptable time frame. The approach includes the methods of variable selection, model simplification, and a sequential optimization process. Using singular value decomposition, a large number of design variables is reduced to a smaller subset that can be solved more quickly through the optimization algorithm. To expedite the variable selection process, a modeling approach that quickly simulates annual energy consumption was developed to replace full annual energy simulations. The developed methodology was applied to two residential buildings in the US, and the results are discussed herein. To assess the accuracy of the integrated optimization methodology, the optimized life cycle costs are compaa variables demonstrating the strongest contributions in the optimization study were identified. The proposed methodology significantly shortened the time requirements for the optimization processes of the two case studies by 74% and 84%; the optimized life cycle costs were within 0.05% and 0.06%, respectively, of the optimum point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive facades, consisting of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems, have been proposed as a means to improve the thermal and visual status of residential buildings while also maintaining energy performance and providing vegetables. However, how to quickly and accurately predict electricity and vegetable output during the numerous influencing architectural and environmental factors is one of the key issues in the early stages of design, and few studies have investigated the impact of such structures on both indoor environmental qualities and production performance. In this paper, we present a novel prediction method that uses experimental data to train and test an artificial neural network (ANN). The results indicated that using the Bipolar Sigmoid activation function to process the experimental data input to the artificial neuron network gives more accurate predicted results both in the yield of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems. In addition, this prediction method was applied to a typical high-rise residential building in Singapore to assess the self-sufficiency potential of high-rise residential buildings integrated with productive facades. The results indicated that the upper part of the building can meet 20.0–23.1% of the annual household electricity demand of a family of four in a four-room residential unit in Singapore and almost the entire year's vegetable demand, while the middle part can meet 18.4–21.2% and 89.1%, respectively. The results demonstrated the importance of a productive facade in reducing energy demand, enhancing food security, and improving indoor visual and thermal comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential buildings consume a large proportion of global energy consumption. This consumption burdens energy security greatly as it is not proportional to the produced energy. Efficient planning to meet building energy needs requires accurate, high spatial resolution information on energy consumption. To justify the high energy consumption, this study focuses on energy consumption breakdown and evaluates how it affected indoor thermal comfort inside existing residential buildings. As well as, evaluating the proposed retrofitting solution provided by the Egyptian energy code to provide the bases which work on enhancing thermal comfort in existing residential buildings in Egypt. This evaluation was done using building performance simulation tools. The paper's research methodology follows the experimental approach. This approach utilizes energy simulation (DesignBuilder) to evaluate the existing residential building's thermal performance in the current state and post retrofitting solutions. The evaluation is done by analyzing thermal comfort levels according to the acceptable ranges stated by the Egyptian Code for Improving the Efficiency of Energy Use in buildings. Residential buildings are built without taking appropriate design measures to protect the indoor environment from external weather conditions. researchs' importance is to study how this will affect indoor thermal comfort. The paper aims at clarifying the effect the lack of thermal comfort has on energy consumption in the existing residential buildings in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current context of joint efforts towards the decarbonisation of buildings, integrating occupants' comfort and health with latest technological advancements for energy efficiency is at the center of the latest development of research, policies and professional practice. Radiant systems are encountering great success since the low-thickness systems can also be used in renovation projects for both heating and cooling, while guaranteeing optimal comfort. However, dehumidification is often required for optimal radiant cooling operation with no condensation risks, and the great potential of mechanical ventilation systems to optimally address the needs for dehumidification, air renewal, health and energy efficiency appears to be far from its full exploitation in the post-COVID-19 era. The present paper aims at providing a quantification of the energy and financial impacts of the implementation of a controlled mechanical ventilation system (CMV) coupled to a radiant system in a typical residential case study building in Italy. The results show that the sole CMV may decrease primary energy demand and energy costs by more than 30% and contribute to an increase in the smart readiness of the building by 8%, but further incentive policies must be developed to cover the still high investment and maintenance cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) methods are widely used for appliance level energy disaggregation in residential buildings. These methods mostly depend on electrical features, and they have not been much successful in applying for commercial buildings. However, recent research has indicated that the accuracy of existing NILM methods can be improved by associating with occupancy data. Therefore, in this paper a novel occupancy detection algorithm is proposed which can detect occupancy status of individuals using the connectivity of their information technology (IT) devices to the local area network of the building. The model is validated using data collected at a university building, with mean errors of 01:23 and 04:02 minutes for the detection of arrival and departure. The occupancy profiles developed by the proposed model can be used to disaggregate energy consumption in a commercial building to appliance and occupant level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Sciences is the property of Faculty of Engineering - Assiut University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Building a reliable energy model for old residential buildings with insufficient documentation and user assistance is a challenging and time-consuming task. Nevertheless, the ambitious European decarbonization targets require this building stock to be renovated, making energy assessment a key priority. In line with this goal, the following study explores a more simplified and automatic framework to generate a residential building energy model (BEM). The paper's approach is based on the concept of urban building energy modelling (UBEM) archetypes or building prototypes and is customized according to the principles of dynamic simulations performed in the existing BEM software, Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment IES VE, and Solemma Open Studio. Therefore, based on three real starting inputs, a prototype database (DB) of assigned inputs is generated, i.e., an input matrix, using Google Maps as a geometry source. Other data are drawn from tabular DB. The proposed approach is evaluated by benchmarking the simulation results with precise models and monitoring the data that come from the Horizon2020 project REZBUILD. Nevertheless, a level of simplification is introduced that creates less accurate results for total or system-level energy consumption; this is compensated for using a set of simple calibration steps. The approach gives promising results for daily indoor temperature, making it a suitable indicator for evaluating further retrofitting alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under rapid urbanization-induced global warming and resource depletion, growing interest in zero-energy building (ZEB) and zero-emission building (ZEB) technologies have emerged globally to improve energy performance in homes and shape sustainable cities. Although several countries have released ZEB-enhanced strategies and set national standards and policies to promote ZEBs, construction projects are still limited to demonstration projects. This paper reviews global ZEB activities and state-of-the-art technologies for energy-efficient residential building technologies [based on an evaluation of 40 residential buildings]. Over 40 residential buildings on different continents were reviewed, and their technical details and performance were evaluated. Our results show that 62.5% of the buildings achieved the +ZEB standard, 25% of the buildings were net-zero energy buildings, and only 12.5% of the buildings were near-zero energy buildings. Solar PV is the most widely used renewable energy source in the studied cases, while in warmer climates, advanced cooling technologies and heat pumps are the preferred technologies. A building envelope and thermal ventilation with heat recovery are essential in cold climates. Our systematic analysis reveals that the thermal performance of the building envelope and solar energy are the most effective mechanisms for achieving energy efficiency and shaping sustainable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the challenges of increasing the energy efficiency investments in European Union (EU) residential buildings in the context of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The paper presents the results of the PRIMES buildings model in key energy policy applications to support cost-effective and fair policy making in buildings across Europe. The model covers, in detail, the building sector for all the EU Member States (MS), segmenting the buildings into many categories. The approach proposed includes non-market barriers in conventional microeconomic modelling, which combined with idiosyncratic preferences can capture poor energy efficiency choices and still represent rational behaviours. The model includes a detailed portrayal of policies specific to the sector, comprising economic and regulatory policies as well as institutional measures. The results of the model show that the removal of non-market barriers is of great importance in reducing energy consumption and increasing both the pace and the depth of renovation investment. However, the institutional measures alone are not enough to induce energy efficiency improvement to the scale required to achieve the climate neutrality objectives. Economic (i.e., subsidies) or regulatory measures (i.e., energy performance standards) are also required to decrease emissions and energy consumption in buildings and the paper compares different configurations thereof. The optimum policy mix obviously derives from a compromise among various aims including the cost-effectiveness of the policy budget and the distributional impacts across building and consumer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a review of the adoption status of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies is presented, specific to US residential buildings. Various technologies are reviewed and categorized as either their relative "higher adoption" or "lower adoption" rates within the US housing stock. More importantly, the review analysis investigates the main factors associated with their high or low adoption rates. Specifically, the paper provides a background of the historical progression of energy efficiency programs as well as sustainability certifications and standards for buildings. The review then analyzes specific building energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies applied to US residential buildings and their adoption rates. The review analysis indicates that building technologies are more frequently adopted for multiple reasons including requirements by codes and standards, incentives through green certifications, low implementation costs, and acceptance and popularity by the public. In contrast, technologies with low adoption rates have higher payback periods, are not required or highly incentivized through codes and certifications, have limited promotion about their benefits, or are not compatible with existing systems. By determining the reasons for the high and low adoption rates, mitigation options can be identified to increase the application of sustainable energy technologies in designing and retrofitting buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Calculation of total primary energy savings per year (MW/h) of a building stock in Mediterranean countries following the cost-optimal methodology. Improving energy efficiency in buildings has a key role to play in achieving the ambitious goal of EU-wide climate neutrality by 2050, set out in the European Green Deal. This paper describes a cost-optimal analysis of residential buildings of Valencian Community, Spain. Thus, an assessment of the contribution of total primary energy savings per year (MW/h) of the social dwellings managed by EVha, Entitat Valenciana d'Habitatge i Sòl (eng. Valencian entity for dwelling and ground) towards the national contribution is presented in this paper. To assess it, the MedZEB cost-optimal methodology has been applied to optimise the performance of the building's envelope. This means that Optimal Renovation Strategies through Life-Cycle Analysis have been applied to obtain the Packages of Optimal Solutions of the different reference buildings in a reference climate. First, the renovation scenario with 100% of the building stock being renovated has been calculated. Then, the renovation scenario of 1%, being the current European rate of renovation and, finally the renovation scenario of 2%, given that the objective of the Renovation Wave is to at least double the annual energy renovation rate of residential and non-residential buildings by 2030 and to foster deep energy renovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key design strategies that reduce the energy demand of buildings are not present in most thermal codes in many countries. Therefore, modeling techniques offer an alternative to combine the architects' modus operandi with the energy efficiency in the early stages of architectural design and with higher speed and precision. However, a review of the scientific literature using modeling techniques shows that most researchers use a relatively large sample of thermal simulations. This paper proposes a simplified method based on the linear regression modeling technique and considers a relatively smaller sample of thermal simulations. A total of 6 key building design strategies were identified, related to the urban context, building envelope, and shape factor. A simulation protocol containing 60 possible combinations was designed by random selection. In the present study, the Pleiades software was used to estimate the annual energy demand for heating and cooling for a typical dwelling in a humid climate zone. A parametric study and sensitivity analysis to identify the most efficient parameters was performed in SPSS 21. The resulting model predicts the annual energy demand with an accuracy of 93.7%, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.88, and a scatter index (SI) of 8.59%. The models performed could efficiently and quickly assist architects while designing the buildings in the architectural practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to identify the state of residential buildings in terms of energy consumption and modernisation in Poland against the background of the EU, and to determine factors and activities increasing households′ interest in net-zero energy buildings. In the European Union, we are observing a tendency to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, including residential, and decarbonise building stock by 2050. The objective of the undertaken activities is to reduce energy use and the negative impacts of the use of buildings on the environment. Attaining this objective requires modernising many buildings. This dissertation includes an investigation into the condition of buildings in Poland from the aspect of energy use and the kind of carriers of this energy, and also into another issue: what factors and activities may increase society′s interest in net-zero energy buildings, and in the use of energy from renewable sources in residential buildings. The studies were conducted with the use of the data provided by the Central Statistical Office and EUROSTAT, and also of the reports of the European Commission, the data of the Central Emission Register of Buildings (CERB) and the Odysse–Mure database. An important source of information was also surveys conducted with the application of CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview), and also of PAPI (Paper and Pencil Interview), among 387 households in Poland. For the purpose of analysing the results of the studies, the methods of descriptive statistics, the chi-square test of independence, the ANOVA test of Kruskal–Wallis and the Mann–Whitney U-test were used. The analysis gives rise to the conclusion that, in residential buildings, household′s annual primary energy demand is dependent on the year in which a building was commissioned. Newer buildings can boast smaller heat energy use. Simultaneously, ever more households are undertaking activities that will result in the thermal modernisation of residential buildings. The studies have shown that the development of net-zero energy buildings requires undertaking activities in the scope of introducing allowances and subsidies, and also increasing social awareness in the scope of this kind of building. Interest in buildings using solely renewable energy sources is contributed to by raising energy prices, and also the falling prices of required installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to assess the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Tunis. To this end, three complementary studies were carried out at different levels. Initially, a diagnosis of the building's adaptability to climate change at urban and architectural scales was established. The methodology adopted was based on indicators obtained following a cross-reference of environmental assessment tools. This made it possible to highlight the lacunary factors related to thermal comfort. According to this finding, the second research was set up to focus on outdoor thermal comfort. The methodology adopted is based on numerical simulations and calculations of comfort indices. The results demonstrated the importance of specific morphological indicators at the urban scale. Finally, the third research is interested in the architectural scale to assess the building's thermal comfort and energy consumption. It was performed through numerical simulations. The results demonstrated the impact of specific physical indicators on buildings' thermal comfort and energy behavior. Ultimately, this research highlighted the gap factors in urban and architectural design in Tunis. It detected the most significant physical and morphological indicators to be considered for sustainable urban design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air conditioning systems are the most viable source to avoid heat waves. Unfortunately, this puts a massive burden on the total electrical load. To deal with this critical issue, the Saudi Building Code National Committee has initiated the Saudi energy conservation code (SBC-602). This paper investigated the role of SBC-602 on the reduction of energy consumption in residential buildings. Furthermore, it also proposes the most effective building element to be insulated. A case study of energy consumption was modelled using SketchUp and analysed using OpenStudio Software. Inconsequence, three scenarios of U-values as an input in this work were suggested which are; building without thermal insulation, building with thermal insulation using Saudi electricity company (SEC) requirement, and using SBC-602 requirement. The study was conducted in three different cities Riyadh, Hail, and Abha, representing three climate zones in Saudi Arabia. Design of experiment (DOE) method was utilised to analyse the significant effects of the input factors. The result indicates that the decrease of the walls U-value is the most effective way to reduce the total electrical energy consumption. Moreover, decreasing roof U-value and increasing setpoint temperature were the following effective factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communities in nations all over the world must work to address the problem of energy consumption, which has emerged in modern times. Given that domestic consumers account for roughly 49% of the total electricity used annually by all sectors, buildings can be seen as a key player in this conundrum. The architecture field can therefore play a vital role in saving energy, not only through building design but also through the materials used. To minimize architectural programmes' negative impact on the environment, sustainable design that saves energy is being employed today in traditional Saudi Arabian buildings. This study examined whether current housing designs can effectively integrate four key passive energy-saving strategies: outdoor green area, thermal mass wall, window-to-wall ratio and shading device. This study analysed two types of traditional houses from two different cities in Saudi Arabia's Najd region, Riyadh and Hail, examining the four passive strategies. Using traditional house designs, this paper created four simulation models for each house, and compared the simulation results with the base case model to determine how well these strategies could affect the energy consumption for residential buildings in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The results indicate that the selected strategies can play an important role in saving energy in residential buildings in the KSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The potential application of the proposed model is a computationally inexpensive semi- or fully automated system for the optimization of operation in residential buildings in terms of energy consumption. Some analyses state that buildings contribute to overall energy consumption by 20–40%, which, in the context of the recent geopolitical energy crisis, makes them a critical issue to study. Finding solutions for better energy management in buildings can have a significant impact on the energy sector, thus reducing EU energy dependencies and contributing to the fulfillment of the REPowerEU goals. This paper focuses on proposing a simplified model of a residential house considering the main appliances, heating and cooling, a photovoltaic system, and electric vehicle recharging. Weather and solar irradiance forecasts are taken into account. The model predicts the energy demands of a house based on online weather forecasts and the desired indoor temperature. The article also focuses on the analysis of how weather forecast uncertainty affects energy demand prediction. This model can be used to better understand and predict the energy demand of either a single house or a set of houses. A multi-objective optimization approach that takes into account the preferences of users/inhabitants is developed to provide a compromise between the price paid for the electricity and temperature comfort. The authors plan to apply the proposed model to a residential house's real-time control system. The model will be tuned, its predictions will be tested, and it will be used for energy demand optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the chronic shortage of energy-related analytical data and disintegration of building energy regulations, numerous existing residential buildings in Petra (Jordan) and many cities worldwide suffer from poor building energy design. This paper aims at investigating the potential of applying energy-saving standards in order to improve the whole-building energy consumption of low-rise residential buildings in mild and dry climate zones. Representative buildings were selected based on a field survey. Proposed strategies focused on applicable solutions such as envelope components, and energy-related systems were set. The models were created using Autodesk Revit, and then the results were generated by the EnergyPlus engine. The findings showed that the application of building energy standards greatly impacts the overall energy end-use, where up to 30% reduction can be achieved by applying the Jordanian code, and up to 45% by applying the American standard. This work provides guidance for the residential building industry and policymakers in Jordan and many other countries with similar building characteristics and climate zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) green building certification system in terms of the scope of certification, and environmental and social strategies focused on 6024 units in the 17 EDGE-certified residential buildings in South Africa was investigated. This research analyzed the efficiency of energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and annual CO2 emissions and their contribution to solving housing issues in the given context. This research revealed that the design of EDGE-certified buildings focuses on the "efficiency first" approach and reduced energy and water demand more than on-site energy production. In energy-saving strategies, energy-saving solutions are three times (69.2%) higher than energy-generating solutions (23.1%). The results on resource savings showed that, on average, embodied energy in materials (54%) is the most reduced resource, followed by water (31%) and energy (29.7%). The statistical analysis indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and CO2 savings with floor areas of the buildings. In addition, this research highlighted how EDGE certification has positively contributed to solving South Africa's resource shortage and affordable housing scarcity problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting from heating using fossil fuel combustion to electrified heating, dominated by heat pumps, is central to many countries' decarbonisation strategy. The consequent increase in electricity demand, combined with that from electric vehicles, and the shift from non-renewable to renewable generation requires increased demand flexibility to support system operation. Demand side response through interrupting heating during peak demands has been widely proposed and simulation modelling has been used to determine the technical potential. This paper proposes an empirical approach to quantifying a building's potential to operate flexibly, presenting a metric based on measured temperature drop in a dwelling under standard conditions after heating is switched off, using smart meter and internal temperature data. A result was derived for 96% of 193 homes within a test dataset, mean temperature drop of 1.5 °C in 3 h at 15 °C inside-outside temperature differential. An empirical flexibility metric may support decision making and decarbonisation. For households it may support the transition to heat pumps, enabling time of use costs and tariffs to be better understood and system to be specified by installers. Electricity system stakeholders, such as aggregators and DNOs may use it to identify the potential for demand response, managing local networks, infrastructure and aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oversimplifying occupant behaviour using static and standard schedules has been identified as a limitation of building energy simulation tools. This paper describes the use of hierarchical cluster analysis to establish the most typical indoor temperature profiles of Albanian dwellings based on monitored indoor temperatures in winter and summer, along with building and occupant surveys undertaken in 49 randomly selected dwellings in Tirana. Three statistically different profiles were developed for each summer and winter, indicating that homes are used in different ways, as well as revealing possible comfort requirements. Furthermore, statistical analysis was undertaken to determine the strength of the association between the clusters and contextual factors related to the building, household, and occupancy. A statistically significant association was found between the presence of children and the clusters in winter, suggesting that families with dependents use more energy. Building-related factors including building type, building age, and wall insulation were found to be statistically significantly associated with clusters in summer. These profiles could provide more accurate outcomes of energy consumption of Albanian homes and energy savings from retrofits. They could also facilitate the development of low-energy strategies and policies for specific households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2002, the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) introduced energy certification schemes to classify and compare building performances to support reaching energy efficiency targets by informing the different actors of the building sectors. However, since its implementation, the Energy Performance Certifications (EPCs) remained unexploited with limited impact on the energy savings targets. In this context, the EPC RECAST project aims at studying a new generation of EPCs with a focus on the residential sector. More in detail, the paper presents and frames a monitoring approach based on low-cost and non-invasive technology for real data collection in existing residential apartments/houses. The method is based on different levels of monitoring selected according to the typology of the building (e.g., detached house, apartment), services (e.g., centralized or local energy generation), and energy vectors (e.g., natural gas or electricity). Three different levels have been identified (named as: basic, medium, and advanced) and for each one, different plug and play monitoring sensor kits have been selected. Six representative pilot buildings have been identified and selected to verify the approach in general and, in particular, the sensors' applicability and communication, the data reliability, and the monitoring platform. The presented work highlights, on the one hand, the general feasibility of the proposed monitoring approach; on the other, it highlights the difficulty of fully standardizing the sensors kits considering that each building/apartment has specific characteristics and constraints that have to be carefully analyzed. The use of the ultrasonic flow meters represents a good technical option for reducing the cost and the impact on the existing plant system; however, their installation must be verified considering that the logger needs to be powered and the sensors calibrated for collecting reliable data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is resulting in higher summer indoor temperatures in the severe cold region and cold region of China, and this is affecting thermal comfort. Local building design codes consider these regions as cool in summer, and do not consider the phenomenon of overheating or propose countermeasures. This paper studied the possibility of overheating in residential buildings in these areas. It suggested alleviating this phenomenon using external horizontal shading, and discussed how to integrate thermal comfort into the building design and save energy consumption. The IESVE software was used to simulate 18-storey residential buildings with natural ventilation in Yichun, Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, and Beijing, and to calculate the change in indoor operative temperature. Horizontal shading was designed for case study building to attempt to alleviate the overheating phenomenon in summer. The results showed that the case study building in the five cities experienced different degrees of overheating. External horizontal shading was successful in reducing indoor overheating, especially in the severe cold B and C zones and the cold A and B zones. The relevant building codes should be modified to take this into account. Reasonable design of horizontal shading can effectively reduce energy consumption, particularly when compared with air-conditioned buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing consciousness to address future concerns is a challenging subject, noticed considerably by policymakers and investors. Investigation of energy use in residential buildings in terms of quantity and sources of energy was the main focus of this study. Indeed, the paper was aimed to study the role of contextual factors on two points: the energy demand and the spreading of renewable technologies in the residential sector. It was theory‐driven research to highlight some future concerns. The first theory was to reveal how the growth of single‐family houses versus multi‐family houses could affect the growth of energy consumption and the application of renewable technologies. The second theory was built to highlight that spreading energy measures to increase efficiency or introducing a new energy carrier should be embedded in the context of new construction activities or in a template of renovation projects. The third theory was to emphasize the priority of thinking about managing the changes in residential buildings because of the lasting impact of the decision about the type of building. Finally, the purpose of the ongoing transition was argued to highlight that the growth of renewable technologies has not been necessarily aligned with getting away from fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the energy consumption of buildings is a complex and multi-scale task, with the entire process dependent on input data and urban surroundings. However, most urban energy models do not account for the urban environment. This paper employs a physical-based, bottom-up method to predict urban building operating energy consumption, using imported topography to consider shading effects on buildings. This method has proven to be feasible and aligned well with the benchmark. Research also suggests that commercial and transport buildings have the highest energy use intensity, significantly more than residential and office buildings. Specifically, cooling demands far outweigh heating demands for these building types. Therefore, buildings in the commercial and transportation sectors would receive greater consideration for energy efficiency and improvements to the cooling system would be a priority. Additionally, the method developed for predicting building energy demand at an urban scale can also be replicated in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic focuses on current solutions of interspaces in the renovation and modernization of residential buildings, the design of which is conditioned by the principles of sustainable development and construction. It concerns the integration of closed interspaces in renovated buildings from the 1950s to the 1980s. One example is the frequent glazing of loggias/balconies in original panel construction. The form of glazing of loggias and balconies is not regulated and is chosen by the apartment owners. For these reasons, the integration of interspaces in renovated buildings should be supported by research that will bring new insights about their effect on assessments of the energy performance of residential buildings and their effect on the architectural expression of facades. The paper compares alternatives for the integration of interspaces with an emphasis on the efferc of their orientation. The research should serve to help regulate the glazing of loggias in residential panel buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to reduce the operational cost of their dwellings, occupants may even have to sacrifice their indoor thermal comfort conditions. Following the economic recession in Greece over recent years, homeowners have been forced to adapt their practices by shortening heating hours, lowering the indoor thermostat settings, isolating spaces that are not heated or even turning off their central heating system and using alternative local heating systems. This paper presents the results from over 100 occupant surveys using questionnaires and walk-through energy audits in Hellenic households that documented how occupants operated the heating systems in their dwellings and the resulting indoor thermal comfort conditions and actual energy use. The results indicate that the perceived winter thermal comfort conditions were satisfactory in only half of the dwellings, since the actual operating space heating periods averaged only 5 h (compared with the assumed 18 h in standard conditions), while less than half heated their entire dwellings and only a fifth maintained an indoor setpoint temperature of 20 °C, corresponding to standard comfort conditions. Mainstream energy conservation measures include system maintenance, switching to more efficient systems, reducing heat losses and installing controls. This information is then used to derive empirical adaptation factors for bridging the gap between the calculated and actual energy use, making more realistic estimates of the expected energy savings following building renovations, setting prudent targets for energy efficiency and developing effective plans toward a decarbonized building stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the architectural implications, in terms of size and space requirements, of battery technologies in a built environment using renewable energy and energy storage technologies. These aspects will be of particular interest as the world transitions to a low carbon future. This paper is the first to focus on the physical size of storage systems required to provide particular storage characteristics. The research used a quantitative case study methodology and focused on the investigation of nine battery technologies based on potential technology and energy consumption scenarios in 2030. Different residential building scales at a local distribution scale are explored considering sub-daily autonomy periods. Four case studies in a 2030 scenario are presented. For each case study, the nominal capacity, spatial requirements and costs are assessed for each technology. A schematic characterisation of the technologies was derived considering their suitability across these aspects as well as their applicability at different scales. The study showed that the architectural implications of the spatial and structural requirements are significant in some cases and negligible in others, with Li-ion and Zn-air technologies having minimal space requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes electricity use in buildings and explores key research questions related to assessing, rating, labeling, and benchmarking building energy use. The analysis reviews annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI) data from 3060 fully electric-powered buildings across six categories: residential, educational, offices, hospitals, hotels and restaurants, and wholesale and retail trade services. One-fifth of the analyzed buildings is derived from an energy dataset that offers a higher time-scale resolution, providing more detailed insights into energy usage patterns. The analysis employs various factors, including the seasonal variation factor (SVF), daily variation factor (DVF), monthly factor (M f), and hourly factor (H f), to gain a detailed understanding of actual energy usage at different time scales. The findings indicate that electricity use is less sensitive to seasonal variations than other energy carriers that provide heating and cooling. The paper provides hourly and monthly peak load percentages (PPL), which can indirectly assist in assessing hourly schedules for building energy performance simulations. The monthly energy use pattern varies between building categories, with high-energy months alternating between winter and summer. For non-residential buildings, high-energy hours correspond directly to the daytime, while for residential buildings, there is a shift towards the evening, and the daily amplitude is lower. Furthermore, the analysis of daily and monthly variability of heating energy carriers, even if non-electric, sheds light on the implications of electrification for these loads. • The study evaluates annual electricity data from 3060 fully electric-powered buildings. • Median EUIs are meaningful energy performance benchmarks by building category. • Residential and educational buildings exhibit EUIs of 90-120 kW h/m2. • Offices and hospitals demonstrate EUIs of 160-170 kW h/m2. • Monthly and hourly factors establish energy benchmarks for finer time resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overheating regulations and calculation methods in 26 European countries were compared. • Most of the existing calculation methods are outdated and do not fit climate-proof buildings. • France requires a mixed-mode operation of naturally ventilated households. • The UK developed a heatwave-based calculation approach. • Comfort-based, multi-zonal, and time-integrated calculation approaches are needed. With the ongoing significance of overheating calculations in the residential building sector, building codes such as the European Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) are essential for harmonizing the indicators and performance thresholds. This paper investigates Europe's overheating calculation methods, indicators, and thresholds and evaluates their ability to address climate change and heat events. e study aims to identify the suitability of existing overheating calculation methods and propose recommendations for the EPBD. The study results provide a cross-sectional overview of twenty-six European countries. The most influential overheating calculation criteria are listed the best approaches are ranked. The paper provides a thorough comparative assessment and recommendations to align current calculations with climate-sensitive metrics. The results suggest a framework and key performance indicators that are comfort-based, multi-zonal, and time-integrated to calculate overheating and modify the EU's next building energy efficiency regulations. The results can help policymakers and building professionals to develop the next overheating calculation framework and approach for the future development of climate-proof and resilient residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is one of the main challenges facing Europe in the context of climate neutrality policy. In this article, the authors decided to investigate the impact of thermal insulation of building envelopes and the type of ventilation on the energy efficiency of multi-family buildings located in different Polish cities. In accordance with EU directives, economic analyses of the costs incurred during the lifecycle and calculations of C O 2   emissions were carried out for the analyzed facilities. It was determined what measures need to be taken under Polish climatic conditions in order to meet the requirements for improving the energy efficiency of multi-family buildings. The multi-criteria analyses presented in this article provide a voice in the discussion of the issues related to the achievement of the energy performance of buildings with almost zero primary energy demand (nZEB). Based on the conclusions of the research conducted, it was possible to develop general recommendations for investors and designers of multi-family residential buildings characterized by energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, the network environment usually adopted a distributed design, which often caused a series of problems such as cumbersome performance adjustment and high energy consumption. The software-defined network adopts a new design method that is different from the traditional network environment, which is hierarchical management and centralized control. This design method can achieve overall planning and can adjust the network structure in a comprehensive and flexible manner. In order to solve the disadvantages of distributed design, this paper innovatively proposes the use of sleep heuristic algorithm to realize dynamic adjustment of WAN energy consumption and performance in SDN network environment, and defines a new network evaluation method. This mechanism flexibly adjusts the network structure through users' attention and feedback on network performance, which can not only ensure network performance, but also effectively reduce network energy consumption. At the same time, the mechanism was verified using a simulation environment. Experimental results show that the mechanism is universal and can be easily implemented in various scenarios. The close integration of low-carbon design concepts with high-rise residential buildings can fully improve the energy-saving effect of buildings, reduce energy consumption, and help build a green and environmentally friendly residential city. Based on this, this article combines theoretical practice, first analyzes the definition of low-carbon design concepts, and then discusses the reasons why high-rise residential buildings need low-carbon design concepts, and proposes specific applications of low-carbon design concepts in high-rise residential building design. There will be some reference and help for the design of similar projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building operation sector in China represents 22% of the national energy consumption and 22% of the carbon emission, of which urban residential buildings accounted for 24% in 2019. Such figures for the housing sector are projected to increase sharply in the near future, while China aims to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and reach neutrality before 2060. To reduce the impacts of the urban housing sector and address the energy use and waste generated by large-scale demolition and reconstruction, the central government started promoting the energy retrofit of urban residential buildings, raising such policies to the national strategic level. Jiangsu Province is one of the most urbanised, with a rapid growth in the energy consumption of residential buildings. The Multi-Danyuan and Single-Danyuan Apartment built in 1980–1999 are the most representative residential types in its urban areas. While still adequate functionally, they were designed and built to low energy standards and show significant potential for energy retrofit. Nonetheless, their current performance and energy-saving potential are under-researched, while more detailed and reliable data would be critical to support retrofit design and policy making. This study investigates and characterises the typical use and energy performance of the two building types. Additionally, seven measures and six retrofit scenarios were identified based on the optimal energy reductions and regulations from selected countries. The simulations indicate that, without intervention, the energy consumption of the typical urban residential buildings can reach 122 kWh/m2 under the typical high-energy user scenario. By selecting a set of effective energy-saving measures, the operational energy use for heating and cooling can be reduced by up to 52.4%. Current local standards prove cost-efficient, although less effective in reducing energy use compared to international best practices, indicating potential improvements to the contribution of building retrofit towards achieving the national carbon reduction goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhaling airborne droplets exhaled from an infected person is the principal mode of COVID-19 transmission. When residential energy efficiency workers conduct blower door tests in occupied residences with a COVID-19-infected occupant potentially present, there is a concern that it could put the workers at risk of infection with massive flows of air being generated by the tests. To minimize this risk, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted for four prototype houses to develop guidelines for workers to follow during their service visits. The CFD simulations visualized the movements and evaluated the residence time of small particles released at certain locations under a series of scenarios representing situations that are likely to be encountered during in-home energy efficiency services. Guidelines were derived from the simulated tracks of droplets to help to increase the safety of the worker(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since decoration is an essential part of buildings, the carbon emissions generated by decoration work should not be ignored. In recent years, prefabricated decoration has attracted much attention as efforts are made to pursue green, low-carbon, and waste-reducing buildings. However, research on carbon emissions assessment of prefabricated buildings has focused mainly on the structural aspect of prefabricated buildings, with few studies having considered prefabricated decoration. This study therefore focuses on assessing the carbon emissions of prefabricated decoration from the life cycle perspective of a case study residential building and explores the potential for reducing carbon emissions by decorating buildings with prefabricated components. The results show that using prefabricated decoration in the case study building reduced carbon emissions by 29.08% at the building material production stage compared to traditional decoration, and using an optimized design of prefabricated decoration, the building's energy consumption over its design life could reduce carbon emissions by 1046 kgCO2/m2. These findings demonstrate the benefits of prefabrication decoration for reducing carbon emissions. This study provides decoration companies with robust data and insights to guide future decisions and practices, helping to transform and achieve the carbon neutrality goal for the building decoration industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of the construction industry, rural residential buildings are characterized by low energy utilization, unreasonable structure, and low consumption level, so it is particularly important to study the low carbon transformation and evaluation system. In this study, the coefficient of variation method was used to identify the important factors affecting the low‐carbon transformation of rural residential buildings, and the evaluation system of low‐carbonization of rural residential buildings was determined by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the system was used in a rural residential building low‐carbonization evaluation study. The results show that "Energy utilization," "Envelope structure," and "Economic factors" have obvious influence on the low carbonization of buildings, with the weights of 36.4%, 24.5%, and 19.5%, respectively. Among the secondary indicators, the top four weightings are "clean energy utilization rate" (0.152), "external wall insulation system" (0.090), "window performance" (0.088), and "electricity consumption" (0.084), which are the most critical factors influencing the low carbonization level of clean energy utilization in rural residential buildings. Finally, based on the constructed low‐carbonization evaluation system, we propose targeted solution strategies to provide a theoretical basis for establishing an effective assessment system for the low‐carbonization of clean energy in rural residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important discussions currently in building energy use is the prediction of energy consumption. To achieve energy savings and reduce environmental impact, the prediction of energy consumption in buildings is crucial to improve energy performance. In this paper, an improved prediction of energy efficiency performance for the heating load (HL) and cooling load (CL) of residential buildings is demonstrated. A deep learning method using a deep neural network (DNN) based on a multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) trained with stochastic gradient descent using back-propagation was examined. The proposed DNN method was also compared with a simple multilayer perceptron (MLP) ANN method. The error performances of both DNN and ANN methods were also analyzed against various machine learning algorithms used in previous studies. The results showed that the proposed DNN method performed better in terms of error performance for the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values compared with the other methods. Adequate values of coefficient of determination (R2) were also obtained for both HL and CL predictions of the proposed DNN method, an indication of good prediction performance. Overall, the proposed ANN and DNN methods proved to outperform the other methods reviewed in this study. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the proposed DNN method was statistically a significant approach within the related research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multi-objective method of analysing the energy efficiency associated with upper class houses in Gated Communities in Arid Zones. The application of building energy regulations has an impact on improving energy efficiency. Energy codes identify the effective techniques that could help in achieving energy efficiency on the building scale, but there is a gap in applying these techniques on the existing urban community scale. This paper proposes a method of integrating energy retrofitting techniques with renewable energy systems to achieve energy efficiency in residential gated communities. The study applies simulation analysis to determine the energy performance when applying these strategies using different building materials in light of the requirements stipulated in the Egyptian Energy Code for Residential Buildings (EECRB). The results show that the entire gated community's energy usage is reduced by 88.68 percent and suggest a framework for achieving energy efficiency in existing buildings and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to design energy consumption modeling systems to predict the energy consumption value due to today's energy use in cities increasing. A new Modified Fish Migration Optimization Algorithm-based Numerical Moment Matching (MFMOA-NMM) technique is applied as an initial indeterminacy evaluation method to forecast the electrical power use in large-scale datasets of single-family residential homes with the application of main characteristics. To develop energy modeling, the DesignBuilder is used. The energy performance of the homes is assessed by combining these techniques. With the application of the information from the energy audit and data of the assessor (8368 single-family homes), four effective parameters including attic insulation R-value, the efficiency of air conditioners (SEER), type of the window, and the area of homes are inputted into the model improvement. Waterloo in Iowa is selected as the case study. The results showed that the yearly electrical power use expected is equal to 10,195 kWh which is within 5% of the experimental electrical power use. Also, the monthly expected electrical power use Average Bias Error is equal to 2.4% and the Coefficient of Variation with the Root Average Square Error is equal to 6.7%. This technique can be applied to create a small group of typical buildings to show the energy performance of a bigger group of buildings. • Energy consumption modeling to predict energy consumption for single-family homes in Waterloo. • Energy performance optimization by a Modified Fish Migration Optimization Algorithm. • Combining the introduced new algorithm with Numerical Moment Matching technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemp-based building envelopes have gained significant popularity in developed countries, and now the trend of constructing houses with hemp-clay blocks is spreading to developing countries like Morocco. Investigating the hygrothermal behavior of such structures under actual climate conditions is essential for advancing and promoting this sustainable practice. This paper presents an in-depth experimental characterization of a commercial hemp-clay brick that has been exposed to the outdoor environment for four years, in addition to field measurements on a building scale demonstration prototype. Additionally, the study simulates 17 representative cities to assess the hygrothermal performance and energy-saving potential in each of Morocco's six existing climate zones, using the EnergyPlus engine. The experimental campaign's findings demonstrate excellent indoor air temperature and relative humidity regulation within the hemp-clay wall building, leading to satisfactory levels of thermal comfort within hemp-clay wall buildings. This is attributed to the material's good thermal conductivity and excellent moisture buffering capacity (found to be 0.31 W/mK and 2.25 g/m2%RH), respectively). The energy simulation findings also point to significant energy savings, with cooling and heating energy reductions ranging from 27.7% to 47.5% and 33.7% to 79.8%, respectively, as compared to traditional Moroccan buildings. [Display omitted] • Experimental characterization of thermal conductivity, sorption isotherm, and moisture buffering capacity of hemp bricks. • Assessment of indoor thermal comfort and energy demand in a hemp-based building across 17 cities in Morocco. • Hemp-clay bricks demonstrated excellent humidity regulation with a moisture buffer capacity of 2.25 g/m2%RH. • Hemp-clay walls can achieve energy savings ranging from 27.7%–47.5% for cooling and 33.7%–79.8% for heating in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]