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Abstract As a highly urbanised city-state with limited rooftop space but large façade areas of skyscrapers, Singapore is particularly suitable for the implementation of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). This study aims to identify relevant barriers that still hinder the greater adoption of BIPV perceived by stakeholders in Singapore, as well as the drivers for BIPV that would lead building sector to adopt BIPV technologies. The study involved five important groups of stakeholders i.e. governmental authorities, building developers, architects, engineers, and PV/BIPV manufacturers to participate in a questionnaire survey. The results identified that on-site generation of clean energy bundled with economic benefits, Green Mark certification, and avoidance of CO 2 emissions are the most influential drivers, while long-term payback period, high upfront cost, and low energy conversion efficiency are the three most substantial barriers to BIPV. Furthermore, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine whether the various stakeholder groups perceive the drivers and barriers differently. It was discovered that various stakeholder groups perceive the drivers similarly, but the significantly different opinions have been perceived on several barriers. This study provides suggestions to overcome barriers to BIPV not only in Singapore, but also other countries that aim to promote BIPV technologies. Highlights • Barriers to and drivers for BIPV development in Singapore were investigated. • Generating renewable energy and achieving green mark certification are influential drivers. • Long-term payback period and high upfront cost are significant barriers. • Stakeholder groups perceive the drivers similarly but the barriers differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household energy-saving interventions are essential in reducing energy consumption in residential buildings. One of the effective interventions is Household Energy-Saving Option (HESO). However, the pricing strategy of this innovative intervention has not been explored. This study aims to establish a feasible valuation strategy for HESO to facilitate the application of market-based energy-saving interventions among households. This study first provides a pricing strategy of HESO from a market zero-profit perspective. It continues by developing a price cap and floor for HESO's market price. The theoretical pricing model was validated by a field experiment consisting of two-tiered HESO trading among 67 households in Singapore. The results revealed decisive implications for both environmental policymakers and HESO suppliers. Policymakers are suggested to launch HESO in countries or regions with stable and relatively high electricity prices and low discount rates. HESO suppliers may choose to adjust rewards and duration accordingly when the market price deviates from the zero-profit equilibrium price of HESO. The valuation strategy of HESO also helps quantitative estimation of households' perceived value of HESO. • The theoretical pricing model of HESO was derived from zero-profit equilibrium. • A field experiment was conducted to validate the HESO pricing strategy. • Key determinants of HESO market equilibrium and boundary prices were investigated. • Decisive implications can be drawn from the appropriate HESO launching places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose a comprehensive framework for a clear description of system boundary conditions in life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) analysis in order to promote the incorporation of embodied energy impacts into building energy-efficiency regulations (BEERs). The proposed framework was developed based on an extensive review of 66 studies representing 243 case studies in over 15 countries. The framework consists of six distinctive dimensions, i.e., temporal, physical, methodological, hypothetical, spatial, and functional. These dimensions encapsulate 15 components collectively. The proposed framework possesses two key characteristics; first, its application facilitates defining the conditions of a system boundary within a transparent context. This consequently leads to increasing reliability of obtained LCEA results for decision-making purposes since any particular conditions (e.g., truncation or assumption) considered in establishing the boundaries of a system under study can be revealed. Second, the use of a framework can also provide a meaningful basis for cross comparing cases within a global context. This characteristic can further result in identifying best practices for the design of buildings with low life cycle energy use performance. Furthermore, this paper applies the proposed framework to analyse the LCEA performance of a case study in Adelaide, Australia. Thereafter, the framework is utilised to cross compare the achieved LCEA results with a case study retrieved from literature in order to demonstrate the framework's capacity for cross comparison. The results indicate the capability of the framework for maintaining transparency in establishing a system boundary in an LCEA analysis, as well as a standardised basis for cross comparing cases. This study also offers recommendations for policy makers in the building sector to incorporate embodied energy into BEERs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-rise buildings consume more energy and have greater environmental impacts, emphasising the need to adopt best practices during the design stage concerning BIM employment. However, despite strong support from the literature, little is known about the applications of BIM in high-rise buildings at the early design stage. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a holistic understanding of the current applications of BIM in high-rise buildings by analysing 60 studies. The findings identified seven research themes, including studies that used BIM for i) optimising building energy efficiency design; ii) collaborative design and planning; iii) life-cycle assessment; iv) designing net-zero energy buildings; v) integrating BIM with smart technologies for designing high-rise buildings; vi) cost analysis, and vii) structural design of high-rise buildings. Furthermore, this study highlights a number of challenges hindering the widespread application of BIM, alongside providing potential directions for the future development of BIM employment in high-rise buildings. [Display omitted] • A systematic review of BIM applications in high-rise buildings was conducted • Seven domains of BIM applications were identified • Challenges hindering widespread use of BIM in high-rise buildings were highlighted • Directions for future development of this research area were recommended [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]