IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2023i13p4924-d1178297.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy Retrofitting Technologies of Buildings: A Review-Based Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • U. G. D. Madushika

    (Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong)

  • Thanuja Ramachandra

    (Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka)

  • Gayani Karunasena

    (School of Architecture & Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong 3200, Australia)

  • P. A. D. S. Udakara

    (Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka)

Abstract

Demand for energy and resources is increasing day by day. The construction industry plays a major role in the consumption of energy and resources. Buildings that were built before energy-efficient sustainable practices became popular consume a larger portion of energy as compared to the new buildings. As a result, enhancing energy performance through retrofitting of those old buildings is a major concern in the construction industry. In the modern built environment, there are many technologies available in the market to enhance the energy performance of such buildings. However, the body of knowledge regarding energy retrofitting technologies is still scattered. Therefore, in this study, a review-based assessment was undertaken to identify energy retrofitting technologies that could enhance energy performance in existing buildings. The Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was followed during the article screening and selection for this study. Following a systematic filtering process, a total of 149 out of 643 research contributions have been considered for in-depth analysis of energy retrofitting classification and respective energy retrofitting technologies. According to the review, energy retrofitting technologies are categorized into three main aspects; building envelope retrofitting, building system retrofitting, and renewable energy. The study found thirty-seven (37) energy-related retrofitting technologies in the current context. Further, 25 possible energy retrofitting technologies were identified under the six main subcategories, including façade, roof floor, window, door, and orientation. In terms of building system retrofitting, 10 possible energy retrofitting technologies were identified under the HVAC system and lighting system. The remaining two technologies identified under the renewable energy category were solar and wind technology. The review further confirms that the application of energy-related retrofitting technologies has the highest contribution in terms of energy and cost saving of existing buildings. It is expected that this outcome would better guide stakeholders in decision-making with regard to the selection of energy retrofitting technologies in a given context.

Suggested Citation

  • U. G. D. Madushika & Thanuja Ramachandra & Gayani Karunasena & P. A. D. S. Udakara, 2023. "Energy Retrofitting Technologies of Buildings: A Review-Based Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:13:p:4924-:d:1178297
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/13/4924/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/13/4924/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sara Wilkinson & Renato Castiglia Feitosa, 2015. "Retrofitting Housing with Lightweight Green Roof Technology in Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Golubchikov, Oleg & Deda, Paola, 2012. "Governance, technology, and equity: An integrated policy framework for energy efficient housing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 733-741.
    3. Sheng-Yuan Wang & Kyung-Tae Lee & Ju-Hyung Kim, 2022. "Green Retrofitting Simulation for Sustainable Commercial Buildings in China Using a Proposed Multi-Agent Evolutionary Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-32, June.
    4. Yupei Lai & Yutong Li & Xinyi Feng & Tao Ma, 2022. "Green retrofit of existing residential buildings in China: An investigation on residents’ perceptions," Energy & Environment, , vol. 33(2), pages 332-353, March.
    5. Mustapha Mukhtar & Bismark Ameyaw & Nasser Yimen & Quixin Zhang & Olusola Bamisile & Humphrey Adun & Mustafa Dagbasi, 2021. "Building Retrofit and Energy Conservation/Efficiency Review: A Techno-Environ-Economic Assessment of Heat Pump System Retrofit in Housing Stock," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, January.
    6. Seongwon Seo & Greg Foliente, 2021. "Carbon Footprint Reduction through Residential Building Stock Retrofit: A Metro Melbourne Suburb Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-28, October.
    7. Iwaro, Joseph & Mwasha, Abraham, 2010. "A review of building energy regulation and policy for energy conservation in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7744-7755, December.
    8. Xiaonuan Sun & Zhonghua Gou & Yi Lu & Yiqi Tao, 2018. "Strengths and Weaknesses of Existing Building Green Retrofits: Case Study of a LEED EBOM Gold Project," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, July.
    9. Miara, Ariel & Tarr, Craig & Spellman, Rachel & Vörösmarty, Charles J. & Macknick, Jordan E., 2014. "The power of efficiency: Optimizing environmental and social benefits through demand-side-management," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 502-512.
    10. Liu, Guo & Li, Xiaohu & Tan, Yongtao & Zhang, Guomin, 2020. "Building green retrofit in China: Policies, barriers and recommendations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    11. Roberto Rivas Hermann & Mette Mosgaard & Søren Kerndrup, 2016. "The function of intermediaries in collaborative innovation processes: retrofitting a Danish small island ferry with green technology," International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 10(4), pages 361-383.
    12. Shen, Pengyuan & Braham, William & Yi, Yunkyu, 2019. "The feasibility and importance of considering climate change impacts in building retrofit analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 254-270.
    13. Yutong Tang & Fengyu Gao & Chen Wang & Merit M. Huang & Mabao Wu & Heng Li & Zhuo Li, 2023. "Vertical Greenery System (VGS) Renovation for Sustainable Arcade-Housing: Building Energy Efficiency Analysis Based on Digital Twin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Wang, Liping & Greenberg, Steve & Fiegel, John & Rubalcava, Alma & Earni, Shankar & Pang, Xiufeng & Yin, Rongxin & Woodworth, Spencer & Hernandez-Maldonado, Jorge, 2013. "Monitoring-based HVAC commissioning of an existing office building for energy efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1382-1390.
    15. Pisello, Anna Laura & Petrozzi, Alessandro & Castaldo, Veronica Lucia & Cotana, Franco, 2016. "On an innovative integrated technique for energy refurbishment of historical buildings: Thermal-energy, economic and environmental analysis of a case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1313-1322.
    16. He, Qiong & Hossain, Md. Uzzal & Ng, S. Thomas & Augenbroe, Godfried, 2021. "Identifying practical sustainable retrofit measures for existing high-rise residential buildings in various climate zones through an integrated energy-cost model," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Giada Romano & Serena Baiani & Francesco Mancini, 2024. "Integrating Technological Environmental Design and Energy Interventions in the Residential Building Stock: The Pilot Case of the Small Island Procida," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-27, September.
    2. Fabrizio Cumo & Elisa Pennacchia & Claudia Zylka, 2023. "Energy-Efficient Solutions: A Multi-Criteria Decision Aid Tool to Achieve the Targets of the European EPDB Directive," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-18, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ying Xie & Yisheng Liu, 2022. "Tripartite Evolutionary Game Analysis of Stakeholder Decision-Making Behavior in Energy-Efficient Retrofitting of Office Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Sheng-Yuan Wang & Kyung-Tae Lee & Ju-Hyung Kim, 2022. "Green Retrofitting Simulation for Sustainable Commercial Buildings in China Using a Proposed Multi-Agent Evolutionary Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-32, June.
    3. Yupei Lai & Yutong Li & Xinyi Feng & Tao Ma, 2022. "Green retrofit of existing residential buildings in China: An investigation on residents’ perceptions," Energy & Environment, , vol. 33(2), pages 332-353, March.
    4. Weihao Huang & Qifan Xu, 2024. "Sustainable-Driven Renovation of Existing Residential Buildings in China: A Systematic Exploration Based on Review and Solution Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-35, May.
    5. Zhikun Ding & Jinze Li & Zhan Wang & Zhaoyang Xiong, 2024. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Envelope Retrofits Considering Future Climate Scenarios: An Integrated Approach Using Machine Learning and Climate Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Yulong Xie & Mark Halverson & Rosemarie Bartlett & Yan Chen & Michael Rosenberg & Todd Taylor & Jeremiah Williams & Michael Reiner, 2020. "Evaluating Building Energy Code Compliance and Savings Potential through Large-Scale Simulation with Models Inferred by Field Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, May.
    7. Suyang Xue & Jiaming Na & Libin Wang & Shuangjun Wang & Xiaoxiao Xu, 2023. "The Outlook of Green Building Development in China during the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-22, March.
    8. Yu Cao & Cong Xu & Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman & Nur Mardhiyah Aziz, 2022. "A Systematic Review of Green Building Development in China: Advantages, Challenges and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-29, September.
    9. Linyan Chen & Xin Gao & Shitao Gong & Zhou Li, 2020. "Regionalization of Green Building Development in China: A Comprehensive Evaluation Model Based on the Catastrophe Progression Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-22, July.
    10. Drago, Carlo & Gatto, Andrea, 2022. "Policy, regulation effectiveness, and sustainability in the energy sector: A worldwide interval-based composite indicator," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    11. Henze, Gregor P. & Pavlak, Gregory S. & Florita, Anthony R. & Dodier, Robert H. & Hirsch, Adam I., 2015. "An energy signal tool for decision support in building energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 51-70.
    12. Sánchez, M.N. & Soutullo, S. & Olmedo, R. & Bravo, D. & Castaño, S. & Jiménez, M.J., 2020. "An experimental methodology to assess the climate impact on the energy performance of buildings: A ten-year evaluation in temperate and cold desert areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    13. Orestis Schinas & Niklas Bergmann, 2021. "The Short-Term Cost of Greening the Global Fleet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-32, August.
    14. Seyed Mohammad Hossein Zakeri & Amir Mahdiyar, 2020. "The Hindrances to Green Roof Adoption in a Semi-Arid Climate Condition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-16, November.
    15. Seyedmohammadreza Heibati & Wahid Maref & Hamed H. Saber, 2019. "Assessing the Energy and Indoor Air Quality Performance for a Three-Story Building Using an Integrated Model, Part One: The Need for Integration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    16. Pajek, Luka & Košir, Mitja, 2021. "Strategy for achieving long-term energy efficiency of European single-family buildings through passive climate adaptation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    17. Sumin Kim & Benson Teck Heng Lim & Bee Lan Oo, 2022. "Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions of Mandatory Green Certified Offices in Australia: Evidence and Lessons Learnt across 2011–2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, October.
    18. Li, Wuyan & Li, Xianting & Gao, Yijun & Shi, Wenxing, 2022. "Thermo-economic evaluation for energy retrofitting building ventilation system based on run-around heat recovery system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    19. Shadram, Farshid & Bhattacharjee, Shimantika & Lidelöw, Sofia & Mukkavaara, Jani & Olofsson, Thomas, 2020. "Exploring the trade-off in life cycle energy of building retrofit through optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    20. Verbič, Miroslav & Filipović, Sanja & Radovanović, Mirjana, 2017. "Electricity prices and energy intensity in Europe," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 58-68.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:13:p:4924-:d:1178297. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.