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Climate change has emerged as a global focal point, notably affecting vulnerable countries like Pakistan. The country faces heightened risk, prompting concern among many due to its susceptibility to climate-related hazards. An imperative challenge arising from this phenomenon is the necessary shift towards sustainable energy, particularly concerning energy consumption within the building sector. Buildings significantly contribute to daily energy usage and subsequent GHG emissions. In Pakistan, transitioning to energy-efficient building stock holds pivotal importance in mitigating climate change impacts. This hinges on establishing a robust institutional framework and regulatory structure centered around energy efficiency. While Pakistan possesses policies and national guidelines advocating for energy-efficient buildings, their practical enforcement and application remain inadequate. The inception of the Building Energy Code of Pakistan in 1990, based on ASHRAE 90.1 standards, marked a step forward. However, obstacles rooted in institutional weakness and limited capacity building have impeded its effective adoption and adherence. Although the Energy Provisions of 2011 introduced modifications, their scope remained confined mainly to commercial structures. This paper conducts an extensive assessment of Pakistan's existing institutional and regulatory framework for building energy efficiency and transition. Drawing on literature insights and stakeholder perspectives, an in-depth understanding of prevailing policies and institutions uncovers underlying reasons for noncompliance and limited implementation. Additionally, input was gathered from stakeholders through interviews, aiming to identify barriers obstructing the reinforcement of building energy efficiency measures in Pakistan. Discourse and narrative analysis, informed by literature and stakeholder interviews, revealed the significance of awareness, participation, coordination, capacity building, technical expertise, finance, and resources as key factors contributing to deficient compliance and implementation of existing codes and policy guidelines. This paper also proposes actionable recommendations to expedite the transition towards a sustainable, energy-efficient building stock in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of an insulated area with a subtropical climate, such as La Réunion island, it is crucial to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and develop local renewable energy sources to achieve energy autonomy. Direct current (DC) nanogrids could facilitate this by reducing the energy conversion steps, especially for solar energy. This article presents the deployment and efficiency evaluation of a 48 VDC low-voltage direct current (LVDC) nanogrid, from conception to real-world installation within a company. The nanogrid consists of a photovoltaic power plant, a lithium–iron–phosphate (LFP) battery, and DC end-use equipment, such as LED lighting and DC fans, for two individual offices. For identical test conditions, which are at an equivalent cabling distance and with the same final power demand, the total power consumed by the installation is measured for several stages from 50 to 400 W, according to a 100% DC configuration or a conventional DC/AC/DC PV configuration incorporating an inverter and AC/DC converter. The methodology used enables a critical view to be taken of the installation, assessing both its efficiency and its limitations. Energy savings of between 23% and 40% are measured in DC for a power limit identified at 150 W for a distance of 25 m. These results show that it is possible to supply 48 VDC in an innovative way to terminal equipment consuming no more than 100 W, such as lighting and air fans, using the IEEE 802.3 bt power over ethernet (PoE) protocol, while at the same time saving energy. The nanogrid hardware and software infrastructure, the methodology employed for efficiency quantification, and the measurement results are described in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides a comprehensive exploration of energy efficiency dynamics in non-residential public buildings such as schools, swimming pools, hospitals, and museums. Recognizing the distinct energy consumption patterns of each building type, the study accentuates the unique challenges they present, with a particular focus on the continuous and intensive energy demands of hospitals and the unparalleled energy needs of swimming pools. Through an extensive review of various case studies, the research unveils prevailing energy consumption trends, highlighting the role of metrics in assessing energy efficiency and the inherent challenges these metrics face in ensuring uniformity and direct comparability. A core element of this analysis emphasizes the dual nature of technical retrofitting, categorizing interventions into passive and active measures. The research delves into the sustainability imperatives of energy interventions, exploring the economic motivations underpinning retrofit decisions, and the intricate relationship between advanced technological solutions and the behavioral tendencies of building operators and users. Additionally, the study uncovers the influence of external determinants such as climatic factors and government policies in shaping energy consumption in public buildings. In synthesizing these findings, the paper offers insightful recommendations, emphasizing the need for an integrated approach that harmonizes technological innovations with informed operational habits, aiming to optimize energy efficiency in public non-residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing price of and demand for energy have prompted several organizations to develop intelligent strategies for energy tracking, control, and conservation. Demand side management is a critical strategy for averting substantial supply disruptions and improving energy efficiency. A vital part of demand side management is a smart energy management system that can aid in cutting expenditures while still satisfying energy needs; produce customers' energy consumption patterns; and react to energy-saving algorithms and directives. The Internet of Things is an emerging technology that can be employed to effectively manage energy usage in industrial, commercial, and residential sectors in the smart environment. This paper presents a smart energy management system for smart environments that integrates the Energy Controller and IoT middleware module for efficient demand side management. Each device is connected to an energy controller, which is the inculcation of numerous sensors and actuators with an IoT object, collects the data of energy consumption from each smart device through various time-slots that are designed to optimize the energy consumption of air conditioning systems based on ambient temperature conditions and operational dynamics of buildings and then communicate it to a centralized middleware module (cloud server) for management, processing, and further analysis. Since air conditioning systems contribute more than 50% of the electricity consumption in Pakistan, for validation of the proposed system, the air conditioning units have been taken as a proof of concept. The presented approach offers several advantages over traditional controllers by leveraging real-time monitoring, advanced algorithms, and user-friendly interfaces. The evaluation process involves comparing electricity consumption before and after the installation of the SEMS. The proposed system is tested and implemented in four buildings. The results demonstrate significant energy savings ranging from 15% to 49% and highlight the significant benefits of the system. The smart energy management system offers real-time monitoring, better control over the air conditioning systems, cost savings, environmental benefits, and longer equipment life. The ultimate goal is to provide a practical solution for reducing energy consumption in buildings, which can contribute to sustainable and efficient use of energy resources and goes beyond simpler controllers to address the specific needs of energy management in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of public procurement documents in the domain of university buildings taken from the e-procurement platform, particularly focusing on their transformation towards more efficient energy consumption. Using a corpus of the titles of the public procurement documents from 2020 to 2022, we used Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling to understand the key thematic areas of focus. The methodology presented in this study incorporated a bifurcated approach. This two-stage procedure began with preprocessing and dictionary creation from the corpus of titles of procurement documents. Following this, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model was employed for topic extraction and trend analysis, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of the thematic progression in procurement practices over time. Our analysis revealed a shift in emphasis from modernization towards the adoption of energy-saving technologies as well as a growing focus on broader sustainability initiatives. However, a less prevalent topic was adherence to cooling & heating systems, suggesting potential areas for improvement in procurement practices. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable procurement in university buildings and offer valuable insight for universities to enhance their energy efficiency strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public buildings are energy-intensive users, especially when energy management is lacking. More than ever, the use of energy efficiency strategies and renewable energy sources (RES) in buildings are a national priority for Morocco in order to improve energy self-sufficiency, replace fossil fuel use and lower energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Relating to the exemplarity of the Moroccan government in terms of energy efficiency and sustainable development, the study support that aim and presents results of a deep energy performance analysis of more than 20 university campuses across Morocco, which has concluded that around 80% of the energy consumed in the university campuses is designated for lightning and hot water for sanitary use. Later, this study examined the potential for energy saving and the environmental benefits of implementing actions to reduce energy demand from the grid, considering the use of on-site solar energy. Thereafter, the study aimed to analyze the impact of RES integration in public university campuses, namely the photovoltaic (ESM1) for electricity output and solar thermal system for hot water use (ESM2), to assess the techno-economic-environmental performance on building energy consumption reduction. Hence, the paper reported a detailed energetic-economic and environmental (3E) analysis simulation for campuses by integration of the two Energy Saving Measurements (ESM). The results showed that the integration of ESM1 system can reduce the annual energy demand by 22% and the energy bill by 34%, whereas the integration of ESM2 achieved 67% in energy saving. According to the analysis of the results, the integration of ESM1 is expected to save 6044 MWh of electrical energy annually on the 30222 MWh for all campuses and 2559 MWh for ESM2 which is equivalent to 284 m3/yr of diesel. With the reduced energy consumption, it is possible to cut down fossil fuels for electricity production and offset greenhouse gas emissions by 672 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Besides, the evaluation of results showed that the energy performance indicator was reduced from 530 kWh/bed/yr to 248 kWh/bed/yr, which represents 56% of energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal insulation blocks have recently been highly considered in hot weather countries - where temperature can reach high levels - according to their low thermal conductivity that can result in a considerable reduction in the demand for building HVAC systems energy and its related negative impacts to the surrounding environments. The paper concerns recognizing the capabilities of applying thermal insulation blocks in building envelopes in Cairo, Egypt to enhance whole-building performance and conserve environments. The study opted for making a comparative performance analysis on six types of building envelopes of a prototype residential building located in Cairo, Egypt by simulating the building model using building performance simulation software (Design Builder Software Ltd – V. 7.0.0.116 – Educational Version). Four use conventional bricks and blocks; the fifth type uses advanced light sand blocks. The sixth type uses thermal insulation blocks to detect the effects of using thermal insulation blocks on a building’s thermal performance and energy consumption. The performance comparative analysis results referred to a huge amount of heat transfer from and to building interior spaces caused by building external walls in the conventional building envelopes that should be treated to improve building thermal performance; by using thermal insulation blocks study observes a reduction of heat transfer from 41.61% to 65.08% that results in a reduction of energy consumption from 4.27% to 13.32%. Because of the study approach, the study proves that using thermal insulation blocks in a building’s envelope can enhance the building’s thermal performance and thus reduce the building’s energy consumption and related CO2 emissions, operating costs, environmental pollution, and other negative impacts on the surrounding environments. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to evaluate the proposed propositions further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gases emission as well as total energy consumption in buildings of public importance, such as schools, municipal buildings, health care centers, can be significantly reduced by increasing buildings' energy efficiency. Buildings' energy consumption adds up to 37% of total energy consumption in the EU countries. In the Republic of Serbia this amount is significantly higher, about 50%. School buildings are considered as one of the most diverse structures from the point of energy-efficient design and construction. The main aim of this paper is to determine the most appropriate settings for possible improvements in energy efficiency and temperature comfort inside a typical primary school classroom in Serbia. The energy efficiency analysis was performed during the heating season for the naturally ventilated primary school classroom located in the eastern Serbia region. The analysis was performed using novel CFD model, suggested in this paper. The suggested model was used to solve two hypothetical scenarios. The first scenario simulates the temperature field in classroom with current energy characteristic envelope of the school building. The calculated numerical data from the first scenario were compared with in-situ measurements values of temperature and wall heat fluxes and showed satisfying accuracy. The second scenario was simulated to indicate possible improvements, which would allow energy consumption decrease and thermal quality enhancement. The analyzed results, calculated using the suggested numerical model under the second scenario conditions, showed that using appropriate set of measures, it is possible to obtain desired temperature comfort levels without need for increase in the building energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for healthy indoor conditions, the energy crisis, and environmental concerns make building ventilation systems very important today. The elements of ventilation systems to reduce energy intensity are constantly the subject of much scientific research. The most recent articles published in the last three years are analyzed in this paper. Publications focused on the topic of reducing energy consumption in ventilation systems were selected and divided into five key research areas: (1) the aspect of the airtightness of buildings and its importance for the energy consumption, (2) the methods and effects of implementing the concept of demand-controlled ventilation in buildings with different functions, (3) the possibilities of the technical application of decentralized ventilation systems, (4) the use of earth-to-air heat exchangers, (5) the efficiency of exchangers in exhaust air heat-recovery systems. The multitude of innovative technologies and rapid technological advances are reflected in articles that appear constantly and prompt a constant updating of knowledge. This review constitutes a relevant contribution to recognizing current advancements in ventilation systems and may be helpful to many scientists in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a great interest in developing eco-friendly operations as alternative uses of resources in the university campus, making the employment of technologies more sustainable. Practices such as energy management and efficiency initiatives have been encouraged to meet these sustainability goals. The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the main features of the GENIIOT project, a system of energy management using Internet of Things applied in a Brazilian university campus to support energy education practices and to promote lasting energy efficiency measures. The focus of the study is directed at the energy consumption of the air-conditioning system, which is responsible for 40% of the total electricity consumption. In addition, this project also scrutinizes processes such as the building occupants' comfort demands, lighting levels and energy waste control. Design/methodology/approach: A case study at the Unicamp campus was conducted to illustrate the design procedures through qualitative description. This study comprises an overview of the physical plant, hardware and software development, energy data monitoring, management process and energy education. Findings: The GENIIOT project enables energy efficiency actions by concerning the use of air-conditioning equipment based on monitored data, different types of monitored rooms, user's behaviors and their feedback. This initiative requires the engagement, awareness and actions from users combined with investment in energy efficiency to achieve an efficient use of this type of equipment. The proposed approach can be applied in the future to similar situations, inside the Unicamp campus and at other university campuses. In addition, this project can contribute to building efficiency analysis by using the hardware structure developed to monitor facilities and carry out evaluations, providing valuable information for strategic initiatives in energy efficiency projects and research and development programs based on practical experience and promoting a discussion about sustainability aspects in the context of the university campus for energy efficiency. Originality/value: The GENIIOT project is aligned with some of the sustainable development goals, among which sustainability and responsible consumption are identified. Considering the sustainability issues, the economic dimension can be evaluated through a cost–benefit analysis of energy efficiency projects with prudent investment, while the social attractiveness of the project is ensured by education and awareness practices for the community that interacts with the system and learns about a more efficient way of using resources in the campus. Furthermore, there is a more conscious use of natural resources by minimizing waste from the use of electricity and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. GENIIOT is part of Sustainable Campus Project, a living laboratory which aims at developing energy-efficiency-related research activities in the university campus to reduce costs in higher and federal institutions of education in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization across the world has led to an exponential increase in demand for utilities, electricity, gas and water. The building infrastructure sector is one of the largest global consumers of electricity and thereby one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing building energy consumption directly contributes to achieving energy sustainability, emissions reduction, and addressing the challenges of a warming planet, while also supporting the rapid urbanization of human society. Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) that are digitalized using advanced sensor technologies are a formal approach that is widely adopted to reduce the energy consumption of building infrastructure. Measurement and Verification (M&V) protocols are a repeatable and transparent methodology to evaluate and formally report on energy savings. As savings cannot be directly measured, they are determined by comparing pre-retrofit and post-retrofit usage of an ECM initiative. Given the computational nature of M&V, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can be leveraged to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and consistency of M&V protocols. However, AI has been limited to a singular performance metric based on default parameters in recent M&V research. In this paper, we address this gap by proposing a comprehensive AI approach for M&V protocols in energy-efficient infrastructure. The novelty of the framework lies in its use of all relevant data (pre and post-ECM) to build robust and explainable predictive AI models for energy savings estimation. The framework was implemented and evaluated in a multi-campus tertiary education institution setting, comprising 200 buildings of diverse sensor technologies and operational functions. The results of this empirical evaluation confirm the validity and contribution of the proposed framework for robust and explainable M&V for energy-efficient building infrastructure and net zero carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, energy efficiency has received increasing attention from the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) industry. Digital Twins have the potential to advance the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase in different application fields. With the increasing industry interest, there is a need to review the current status of research developments in Digital Twins for building energy efficiency. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the applications of digital twins for building energy efficiency, analyze research trends and identify research gaps and potential future research directions. In this review, Sustainability and Energy and Buildings are among the most frequently cited sources of publications. Literature reviewed was classified into four different topics: topic 1. Optimization design; topic 2. Occupants' comfort; topic 3. Building operation and maintenance; and topic 4. Energy consumption simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrofitting buildings will be an integral part of meeting government targets around reducing energy usage in coming years. If carried out using the correct methods and materials, with good design and installation, retrofit can be successful in improving the energy efficiency of buildings. It is important to recognise, however, that buildings can also suffer from defects if retrofit of insulation is not successful. Buildings that are of traditional construction are particularly vulnerable to defects associates with retrofit as they have particular requirements around moisture and condensation as well as ventilation. This paper considers retrofit of traditionally constructed buildings with a focus on some of the defects that may be found as a result of unsuccessful retrofit. As the volume of such work increases, so too does the likelihood that those assessing buildings will find defects related to or exacerbated by retrofit. This is not to say that traditional buildings cannot or should not be improved, as research has shown they can and should, but rather seeks to highlight a potential future cause of building defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to provide a holistic review of two decades of research advancement in the indoor environmental quality modelling and indexing field (IEQMI) using bibliometric analysis methods. The explicit objectives of the present study are: (1) identifying researchers, institutions, countries (territories), and journals with the most influence in the IEQMI topic; (2) investigating the hot topics in the IEQMI field; and (3) thematically analysing the keyword evolution in the IEQMI field. A scientometric review was conducted using the bibliometric data of 456 IEQMI research articles published in the past two decades. VOSviewer software was employed for bibliometric analysis, and the SciMAT tool was used to investigate the keywords' thematic evolution in three sub-periods (2004–2009; 2010–2015; 2016–2021). Results show that there is a continuous increment in the number of published papers in the field of IEQMI, and 60 out of 193 countries in the world have been involved in IEQMI studies. The IEQMI research mainly focuses on: (a) thermal comfort and energy efficiency; (b) occupant satisfaction and comfort; (c) IAQ and health issues; (d) methods and procedures. This field has undergone significant evolution. While 'indoor environmental quality was initially the only theme in the first period', 'occupant satisfaction', 'buildings', 'impact', 'building information modelling', and 'health' were added as the main thematic areas in the second period; 'occupant behaviour' and 'energy' were novel themes in IEQMI studies receiving much attention in the third period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraged by the European Union, all European countries need to enforce solutions to reduce non-renewable energy consumption in buildings. The reduction of energy (heating, domestic hot water, and appliances consumption) aims for the vision of near-zero energy consumption as a requirement goal for constructing buildings. In this paper, we review the available standards, tools and frameworks on the energy performance of buildings. Additionally, this work investigates if energy performance ratings can be obtained with energy consumption data from IoT devices and if the floor size and energy consumption values are enough to determine a dwellings' energy performance rating. The essential outcome of this work is a data-driven prediction tool for energy performance labels that can run automatically. The tool is based on the cutting edge kNN classification algorithm and trained on open datasets with actual building data such as those coming from the IoT paradigm. Additionally, it assesses the results of the prediction by analysing its accuracy values. Furthermore, an approach to semantic annotations for energy performance certification data with currently available ontologies is presented. Use cases for an extension of this work are also discussed in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China accounts for more than 22% of the total energy consumption worldwide. Building energy consumption, among which consumption in public buildings was about 40% took the second place. With the problems of high energy waste, error rate and complexity of the control systems available, an indoor intelligent lighting system based on occupants' location is proposed in this paper to improve the energy efficiency of the current lighting systems indoors. The transmission model of electromagnetic wave in free space is optimized in both aspects of reference signal strength and attenuation coefficient radiation in complex environment dynamically based on which occupants' positions are obtained. The smart lighting system will turn on or off corresponding lights adaptively to provide a more energy efficient platform. Experimental results show that the proposed system is able to improve the energy efficiency of indoor lighting by at least 15%, with a lower error rate below 2% compared with the existing lighting systems based on voice control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal design of building envelopes/HVAC systems and free cooling strategies are today necessary to reduce energy, economic and environmental impact of telecommunication, electricity distribution, or electric transportations infrastructures. To this aim, designers and operators require advanced techniques and tools. Target of this paper is to present the development of a simulation model for assessing and optimizing cooling performance of new/existing infrastructures to be designed/refurbished from the energy point of view. The model is implemented in a computer tool to assess the related potential benefits of different energy saving technologies/strategies and optimize different objective functions. By the presented approach new design and operating criteria are developed by varying all the occurring boundary conditions (weather, temperature limitations, electricity tariffs, etc.). To show the capability and suitability of the proposed approach, a case study concerning the equipment cooling of a railway substation is developed. The analysis is conducted for different Italian climates, obtaining remarkable energy savings. Specifically, by optimizing free cooling operation and thermal insulation the cooling energy consumption can be decreased up to 80% and 10%, respectively. By an energy refurbishment of all the Italian railway substations an annual electricity cost reduction due to equipment conditioning of about 0.5 M€ can be achieved, 47% lower. • Distributed building infrastructures have great potential of reducing cooling energy consumption. • Dynamic simulation is a paramount tool to design enhanced energy management strategies. • Free cooling contributes to 50% reduction of energy demand for equipment cooling. • Operational energy and use of material can be reduced with optimal envelope design. • The study proposes design criteria aimed at increasing energy efficiency at the infrastructure level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new methodology to investigate the impact of thermal mass is defined. • The use of unrepresentative boundary conditions could lead to inaccurate conclusions. • High thermal mass helps to decrease and regulate the internal temperature. • High thermal mass could increase energy use in the summer and winter seasons. • Isolating thermal mass through internal insulation results in better energy performance than external insulation. Contradictory conclusions have been reported on whether thermal mass reduces or increases energy demand in hot and cold climates. A novel approach to measuring the impact of thermal mass on the building's energy consumption is presented. The method aims to better represent reality and applies two different control conditions simultaneously in a numerical model: the first condition, which has been used in past studies, adjusts the internal boundary condition based on the time duration of heating/cooling activation (simulating an occupancy pattern) and the second, which has not been used in past studies, adjusts the internal boundary condition based on both the time duration and the internal temperature (simulating an occupancy pattern and the thermostatic control system). When investigating the impact of thermal mass on the internal temperature in a scenario where no heat is transferred into the building, the high thermal mass outperforms the low thermal mass, showing a time-shifting effect, long time lag, and small decrement factor. However, when modelled using the method presented in this paper, high thermal mass results in greater energy consumption during summer and winter periods in Saudi Arabia. During transition seasons where temperature swings occur on either side of the indoor set-point temperatures, thermal mass reduces thermal transmission. The impact of thermal mass is also investigated for several climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia. Simulation results show that an internally exposed thermal massive wall section results in greater energy consumption when compared to a similar building with isolated thermal mass (i.e. insulated internally). This is due to the fact that even though the internal temperature inside the building is being cooled/warmed up to the set-point, the thermal mass continues to transfer heat that is absorbed by the building's fabric from/to the interior, placing a greater demand on the cooling/heating system. Over the course of a year, however, the impact of thermal mass is negligible when compared to other factors, such as the insulative properties of the building's fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An innovative sandwich material with Pozzolan-plaster composite as a core and lightweight pozzolanic concrete were introduced. • Increasing granulomeric sizes and proportion of pozzolan aggregates enhances sandwich material and lightweight concrete thermal performances, respectively. • As the proportion of pozzolanic aggregates in lightweight concrete increases, the mechanical characteristics of the concrete decrease. • In this paper, the optimal mixture for mechanical and thermal characteristics was investigated. • The use of sandwich material and lightweight concrete results in a considerable decrease in building energy consumption. A brand-new sandwich material has been developed with a pozzolan-granular, plaster composite core and two cement mortar protective layer. The main goal of this study is to test the thermal behavior of a new sandwich material as well as the thermomechanical characteristics of pozzolanic concrete. The effects of granulomere sizes on the thermal properties of sandwich materials, as well as the volume fraction of pozzolan on the thermomechanical properties of lightweight concrete, have been studied. As a reference, mortar and concrete samples were made. The morphology and chemical composition of pozzolan granular were studied using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence respectively. An energy building simulation of a prototype by Using TRNSYS simulator software, with variable internal and external walls composition, is performed; in order to evaluate the energy performance of sandwich material and lightweight concrete with optimum mechanical and thermal properties obtained from this work. Experimental results have shown that the incorporation of pozzolan as aggregates in the multilayer material and the concrete improves their thermal behavior. For multilayer material, it was shown that thermal conductivity varies from 0.682 W.m−1.K−1 to 0.42 W.m−1.K−1 for a sandwich sample having a granular size of pozzolan (7–20 mm) compared with reference mortar with 21.17 % mass gain. Concerning effusivity and diffusivity, of the same samples are varied from 723 to 575 J m−2.K−1.s−1/2 and from 3.51 to 2 10–7 m2.s−1 respectively. While for concrete without pozzolanic aggregate compared with a lightweight concrete sample having 100 % of volume fraction of Pozzolan, the thermal conductivity varies from 1.5 W.m−1.K−1 to 0.79 W.m−1.K−1 respectively with 31 % mass gain. Unfortunately, the mechanical performance decreases. The results of the thermal simulation have shown that sandwich material and lightweight concrete might be used in the thermal building envelope and walls. It offers significant reductions in cooling and heating energy consumption of 22 % and 14 %, respectively, as well as a significant yearly decrease in CO 2 emissions of roughly 611.57 kg CO 2e and 810 KgCO 2e. When compared to other common wall materials, the results reveal that the new green construction materials have exceptional self-insulation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Miscellaneous loads are a major opportunity to save electricity in vacant buildings. • A method for inferring vacancy was developed. • The model generates a continuously updated likelihood of vacancy. • The vacancy inference model requires less ground truth data. • The sensor fusion approach is robust and enables flexibility. Recent events have forced building managers to examine energy use during vacant periods and revealed miscellaneous electrical loads (MELs) as an opportunity for savings. This paper addresses a key step in unlocking these savings, specifically the reliable identification of when a building is vacant. A Vacancy Inference Engine (VIE), using sensor fusion, was developed to identify vacant periods based on outputs from common sensors, historical building vacancy patterns, and expert knowledge. The VIE calculates the confidence that a building is vacant, allowing building managers to balance the capture of energy savings with the possibility of complaints due to powering down MELs. The VIE has the advantage over logistic regression and other models in that it does not require a full set of ground truth for the training process. The VIE successfully predicted vacancy in an office building using input data streams of instantaneous electricity demand, indoor carbon dioxide concentrations, and the number of active Wi-Fi connections. The VIE's ability to predict vacancy was compared to that of logistic regression using a metric based on the Complaint Opportunity Rate and found to be nearly identical (0.94 versus 0.95, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel Dendrite Net based on the adaptive mean square gradient is proposed. • Energy consumption prediction and analysis model of buildings is obtained based on energy consumption data of buildings. • The prediction accuracy of the proposed model is higher than most neural network methods. • The optimization direction of building envelopes is found for reducing energy consumption. • The maximum carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 158.17 kg. Artificial neural networks have been widely applied in construction industries. Due to dendrites of biological neurons participating in the pre-calculation of neural networks, the structure of the traditional artificial neural network needs to be adjusted subjectively. Thus, a novel dendrite net based on the adaptive mean square gradient is proposed in this paper. The energy consumption of buildings is predicted and analyzed by the proposed method to cut the carbon dioxide emissions. The adaptive mean square gradient method is used to update the weight matrix of the dendrite net method, which can avoid errors caused by selecting hidden layer nodes to improve the prediction accuracy of the proposed method. Finally, the proposed method is used to energy saving and emission reducing of the construction industry. Compared with other methods, the experimental results show the availability of the proposed method. Through predicting the heating and cooling loads based on the proposed method, the construction plan is adjusted to decrease the energy consumption of buildings. Moreover, the appliances energy consumption is predicted and analyzed by the proposed method to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an intelligent data analysis method for modeling and optimizing energy efficiency in smart buildings through Data Analytics (DA) is proposed. The objective of this proposal is to provide a Decision Support System (DSS) able to support experts in quantifying and optimizing energy efficiency in smart buildings, as well as reveal insights that support the detection of anomalous behaviors in early stages. Firstly, historical data and Energy Efficiency Indicators (EEIs) of the building are analyzed to extract the knowledge from behavioral patterns of historical data of the building. Then, using this knowledge, a classification method to compare days with different features, seasons and other characteristics is proposed. The resulting clusters are further analyzed, inferring key features to predict and quantify energy efficiency on days with similar features but with potentially different behaviors. Finally, the results reveal some insights able to highlight inefficiencies and correlate anomalous behaviors with EE in the smart building. The approach proposed in this work was tested on the BlueNet building and also integrated with Eugene, a commercial EE tool for optimizing energy consumption in smart buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Development of a benchmark model for renovated nearly zero energy terraced buildings. • The average energy use intensity per household was 29 kWh/m2/year. • Models validated with four-year monitoring data on energy consumption. • Middle old families dominate households, and their occupancy profiles are presented. • Findings on energy needs and use intensity are useful in temperate and continental climates. Brussels is one of the European cities with the most significant number of Passive House buildings on the continent. In the Brussels-Capital Region, the nearly zero-energy building obligations implemented is implemented since 2010. The Brussels-Capital Region has set up ambitious energy standards for new constructions. These standards target 'nearly zero' or 'very low energy consumption and are inspired by the 'passive house standard,' where high-energy performance is first achieved. Ten years after boasting this groundbreaking policy, many renovated, terraced houses are renovated to comply with the nearly zero-energy building requirements. Therefore, this study aims to develop an energy performance data set and one building performance simulation benchmark model for nearly zero-energy dwellings in Brussels. The study reports an inventory and field survey conducted on a terraced house renovated after the year 2010. An analysis of energy consumption (electricity and natural gas) and a walkthrough survey were conducted. A building performance simulation model is created in EnergyPlus to benchmark the average energy consumption and building characteristics. The estimate's validity has been further checked against the public statistics and verified through model calibration and utility bill comparison. The benchmark has an average energy use intensity of 29 kWh/m2/year and represents terraced single-family houses after renovation. The paper provides a timely opportunity to evaluate the actual performance of nearly zero-energy terraced houses. The findings on energy needs and use intensity are useful in temperate and continental climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• End-use of electricity consumption in residential buildings in Gulf Cooperation Council countries was presented. • Discrepancies in certain indicators have been observed by the end-use of electricity consumption. • Improving the efficiency of air conditioners and thermal insulation of the walls are the best measures to conserve electricity in residential buildings. • The results can be used in areas with a similar climate, living standard, buildings types, and the inhabitants' behavior. Energy conservation and improvement in energy efficiency yield multiple technical, economic, environmental, and social benefits and realize comfort and sustainability of residential buildings (RBs). This review paper presents the end-use of electricity consumption in RBs and the results of economic analysis. In addition, a description and discussion of studies on energy conservation measures, Net Zero Energy Building, and renewable energy in RBs are discussed. The percentage of end-used energy consumption for different purposes obtained in many studies are often not consistent. Moreover, discrepancies in certain indicators have been observed, necessitating the need to clarify the factors in the consumption of electricity in RBs. Further, a few studies used the term energy consumption in buildings (total or electrical); however, specifying the type of buildings to identify and use the necessary indicators of energy consumption in each type of building are desirable. Furthermore, most studies emphasized improving the efficiency of air conditioners and thermal insulation of the walls as these are the best measures to conserve electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy systems are in a state of transition due to national energy and climate policies. The Finnish Government has declared a national target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. This will require further reductions in carbon intensity of the Finnish energy generation mix. Some of the energy related emission reductions could simultaneously be achieved through effective energy efficiency measures in the buildings sector. In this paper, the effectiveness of these measures is studied in alternative long-term energy system scenarios with varying CO 2 reduction targets for the energy supply sector until 2050. The results show that initial carbon intensity of energy mix has a significant effect on the achievable CO 2 emission reductions of demand-side measures. Moreover, assigned system boundaries can significantly affect the results, especially in a low-carbon energy system, where energy savings mostly reduce the use of wood-based biomass in the energy production. Furthermore, long-term perspective for identifying the environmental effects of an energy efficiency measure is recommended, since they often have a long economic lifetime and due to structural changes in the energy system, the marginal energy production unit changes over its lifetime. Consequently, the CO 2 emission reduction potential of an energy efficiency measure can vary over its lifetime. • Building sector demand-side measures are analysed in broader energy system context. • CO 2 emission reduction potential depends on the carbon intensity of marginal unit. • Marginal emission factor can change during the lifetime of demand-side measure. • System boundaries can significantly affect the results in a low carbon energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings contribute to about 40% of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and more than a third of energy consumption globally. Sustainable building standards and efficiency standards are two measures to reduce such emissions and energy consumption in buildings. While better standards improve the sustainability of new buildings, the impact of these actions depends on the ability to improve the existing building stock. Understanding the dynamics of adopting efficiency and sustainable building measures is essential for setting policy targets and mechanisms. This paper proposes a system dynamics model for assessing the energy savings potential from adopting sustainable building and energy efficiency measurements in buildings in systems with incomplete and uncertain information, using prospective scenarios. The model combines a dynamic diffusion model with an aggregate model for the building stock. The model is calibrated for estimating energy savings in the residential and commercial building stock of the four main metropolitan areas of Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla. Simulation results show that the maximum energy savings potential is approximately 12% but could be below 8% if rebound effects are considered. Results show that energy savings are limited if there are no policies for existing old buildings. [Display omitted] • We developed a system dynamics model for adoption of sustainable buildings standards. • The model estimates the potential energy savings at the city level. • We used the model for testing different scenarios in four Colombian cities. • Current Colombian standards should be extended to consider an old-buildings policy. • Colombian policies require city-specific incentives and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developing novel multi-level benchmarks. • Identifying benchmarks for electricity and thermal energy for office buildings. • Presentation a base for short/long-term energy efficiency plans. • Analyzing energy efficiency and consumption in details. • Creating a dataset, including building and energy information. Energy benchmarking is an accurate tool to measure, monitor, and reduce end-use energy consumption in the building sector using comparison scenarios. Various studies have applied Bottom-Up energy consumption assessment to compare the energy performance of a group of buildings with a benchmark. The Bottom-Up method mostly relies on simulating an ideal building to develop a benchmark. However, this study has developed a Top-Down energy benchmarking methodology based on the actual energy consumption within a cluster of governmental office buildings. The method presents multi-level benchmarks to provide a detailed policy for improving the energy efficiency of buildings in the short or long-term. In an exploratory study, 26 office buildings in a cold climate region were investigated to identify the multi-level benchmarks. Four general benchmark levels were developed, including the 'Best Practice, 'Good Practice', 'Benchmark', and 'Poor Practice'. In addition, 15 energy efficiency classes were also introduced and applied as a base for developing the 'Energy Performance Certificate' method. The results indicate that the benchmark values for electricity and natural gas are 40 and 252 kWh/m2/yr, respectively, while the total energy benchmark is 292 kWh/m2/yr. According to the benchmarking results, 69% of the case studies were inefficient, 23% were labeled 'C', and no cases were labeled 'A' or 'B'. The multi-level benchmarking system can provide quick and clear guidance for building designers, operators, and government regulation/enforcement agencies; thus, it can apply at local, regional, and international levels. These benchmark levels establish reference points for measuring and rewarding good performance, on the other hand, it recognizes poor-performance buildings and prioritizes them for energy efficiency improvement. The method can be replicated in various climates and urban scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]