Energy Efficiency and Environmental Performance in Buildings

Dear Colleagues,

Thermal energy for heating and cooling buildings accounts for quite a considerable part of the entire energy produced in the world. Heat exchange with the environment surrounding buildings plays a significant role here. An effort is made to maintain a specific temperature ensuring thermal comfort inside a building, but the air temperature outside the building changes continuously under the influence of many factors. It should be noted that the relationship between buildings and the atmosphere has been extensively researched. Heat transfer into the ground and the impact of the groundwater on heat dissipation have still not been sufficiently studied. Here is an opportunity to utilize the heat or coolness of the ground depending on the period and accumulate a part of the heat as well.

The data of long-term hydro-meteorological observations allow for high-accuracy simulations and forecasts of a building's energy costs throughout the year, computing the power needed, and selecting renewable energy sources. Solar panels have appeared on roofs, and heat pumps and small wind turbines are used more and more, meaning that residents not only provide energy for the needs of their buildings but also become energy producers for other consumers. However, heat and electricity networks face new challenges.

The sustainable integration of buildings into the environment and interaction with it is the main task of this Special Issue. Studies focused on the development of renewable energy sources and their integration into buildings' heating and cooling systems and electricity, utilization of ground and ground-water heat, coolness and thermal accumulation properties, and the challenges of engineering networks are welcome to be submitted. We also invite you to publish your research results and insights on such matters as collecting precipitation from buildings' roofs and facades, and the possibility of its direct use or the application of precipitation for heat exchange intensification, facade cooling, and for other cases.

We hope that the results of analytical, experimental, or numerical research made available to an audience through the open-access journal Sustainability will help to find the solutions to mitigate climate change.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Buildings energy efficiency;
• Integration of renewable energy sources into engineering systems of buildings;
• Utilization of ground heat or coolness;
• Heat accumulation;
• Groundwater;
• Rainwater harvesting from roofs;
• Water supply and sewage.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Tadas Zdankus
Dr. Juozas Vaiciunas
Guest Editors

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• buildings energy efficiency
• renewable energy sources
• heat accumulation
• rainwater
• networks