Open research questions in Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

What the literature leaves open

• Among the limitations of this study are the simplification of the DGP model used, the lack of validation against field data or actual occupant preferences, and the dependence of the evaluation reference labels on thresholding the same input variables used in the model.

  An intelligent model for managing visual comfort and building energy consumption through facade control using reinforcement learning · 2026 · DOI

• Limited understanding of the impact of gender, age, and BMI on thermal sensation. Lack of accurate thermal sensation prediction models for high-speed railway station waiting halls.

  Evaluating thermal demand differences among passenger groups in a high-speed railway station waiting hall during summer · 2026 · DOI

• Finally, future work will explore integration of the HARM with closed-loop control methods such as model predictive control (MPC) to quantify, in controlled experimental settings, the effects of HVAC on/off lead-time scheduling on actual energy consumption, thermal comfort compliance, and closed-loop control performance.

  HARM: Heterogeneous Feature Fusion and Hierarchical Adaptive Reconstruction Model for HVAC on/off Timing Prediction · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need for a rigorous evaluation of the predictive accuracy of these approaches. The study aims to address the gap by conducting a comprehensive comparison of multiple state-of-the-art ensemble boosting algorithms.

  Enhancing the prediction of heating and cooling loads in residential buildings using explainable XGBoost: a comparative analysis of SHAP and LIME techniques · 2026 · DOI

• Future research will address these limitations and focus on the following aspects: Future work will collect residential building plans from Lanzhou to develop a detailed parametric block model, followed by energy simulations to train a more accurate GAN model.

  GAN-MIGA-Driven Building Energy Prediction and Block Layout Optimization: A Case Study in Lanzhou, China · 2026 · DOI

• Future work should explore integrating energy storage, dynamic occupancy, and climate variability to optimize further self-consumption, grid interaction, and overall urban energy sustainability. Also, a limitation of the present study is that the thermal interaction between PV glazing and indoor energy demand was not explicitly simulated.

  A Delphi-ELECTRE Multi-Criteria Framework for Solar Façade Integration in Sustainable Urban Contexts · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on developing virtual sensing technologies utilizing infrared thermography or estimating skin temperature through low-cost environmental sensors combined with human body heat balance equations. Finally, according to Cabanac’s research findings, alliesthesia is not limited to thermal sensation.

  Alliesthesia-Informed Machine Learning for Predicting Dynamic Thermal Comfort in Intermittent Convective Cooling Environments · 2026 · DOI

• In particular, future studies could explore correlations between measured illuminance, uniformity, glare indicators, seating position and perceived comfort. First, the analysis is limited to a relatively small number of classrooms within a specific climatic, architectural and functional context, which may restrict the generalisability of the results.

  Smart Lighting Integration in Educational Buildings: A Climate-Responsive and User-Centred Framework for Classroom Retrofit · 2026 · DOI

• Further research in drought-prone regions could validate the utility of CEI as a cross-regional tool for assessing energy-climate-drought relationships. Furthermore, more work is required to refine CEI thresholds for various climatic zones and to directly link CEI outputs to energy system operational data.

  Climatic efficiency index (CEI): a multi-scale diagnostic for energy–water–climate interactions in semi-arid regions · 2026 · DOI

• Future investigations should focus on integrating refrigeration, ventilation, dehumidification, ice-floor thermal behaviour, occupancy information, and energy-management systems within a unified digital framework. Future research should examine multi-temperature heat-recovery networks that coordinate condenser heat, dehumidification regeneration, thermal storage, heat pumps, and district-energy interaction.

  Towards Intelligent and Sustainable Indoor Ice Arenas: Integrating Energy Systems, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Advanced Control · 2026 · DOI

• Interaction effects may exist among different parameters, and the synergistic emission reduction performance under combined conditions has not been quantified in the present study.

  Passive Energy-Saving and Carbon Reduction Strategies for Substation Buildings in Cold Regions: A Case Study of Shijiazhuang · 2026 · DOI

• The temporal and spatial generalizability of the proposed approach remains to be established. The findings are therefore limited to the investigated buildings, period and evaluation procedure, while applicability to unseen buildings, other regions and different seasons remains to be evaluated.

  Adaptive Clustering and Deep Learning-Based Model for Predicting Large-Scale Heterogeneous Building Load Profiles · 2026 · DOI

• Future research may investigate the underlying causes of variations in the output results, given the same inputs used by the models. The daily-outage analysis was limited to the pre-retrofit Montreal EWY 3.

  Quantifying the Impact of Over-Cladding Energy Retrofits on Thermal Resilience Using DesignBuilder and TRNSYS Simulations · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of evidence from Africa is hardly surprising, but the nature of it is problematic. Those parameters might transfer well (the climates are generally quite similar), but they haven’t been tested for transfer, and local conditions vary widely in terms of the way they are built, how people use them, the reliability of electricity, and adaptive expectation.

  A systematic review of passive design strategies for modular stacked housing in warm-humid climates · 2026 · DOI

• Grounded in the high-altitude Andean context from which this paper draws its illustrations, CEBD offers a conceptual foundation, whose transferability to other climates remains to be tested, on which future evidence-based design tools integrating climate adaptation, material sustainability, and building performance can be built.

  Climate Evidence-Based Design: A Conceptual Framework for Early-Stage Climate-Responsive Building Performance Decisions · 2026 · DOI

• This systematic difference suggests that the historical CO2 TS alone is insufficient to capture the dynamics of continuously occupied, mechanically ventilated environments.

  The Impact of Occupancy Dynamics on Indoor CO2 Forecasting: A Cross-Scenario Evaluation · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should therefore assess the performance of ASHP + PV under typicalyear conditions and identify the optimal ventilation strategy, together with the optimal ASHP and PV capacities, which were beyond the scope of this study.

  Rooftop-PV-Driven Air Source Heat Pumps in Mechanically Ventilated Broiler Houses: An Integrated Assessment of Thermal Environment, Energy, and Carbon Emissions in South Korea · 2026 · DOI

• The limited access to natural light in underground spaces. The varying solar altitude and azimuth conditions. The need to improve daylight penetration and indoor luminous conditions in underground spaces.

  Improving the Luminous Environment of Underground Spaces Using an Active Multistage Light Shelf Integrated with a Light Well · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of quantitative analysis of building design parameters' effects on energy consumption in the Western Sichuan Plateau. The need for a comprehensive framework to integrate parametric energy simulation and explainable machine learning. The importance of identifying key influencing factors of building energy consumption.

  Differential Effects of Building Design Parameters on Building Energy Performance in the Western Sichuan Plateau: An Explainable Machine Learning Analysis · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of quantification of the benefits of attic configurations in rural dwellings. The need to investigate the effects of roof insulation on thermal comfort and energy consumption. The gap in understanding the relationship between attic configurations and thermal performance.

  Thermal Performance of Pitched-Roof Attic Configurations Under Varying Roof Insulation Levels in Rural Dwellings · 2026 · DOI

• Limited accuracy of current thermal sensation prediction models. Difficulty in collecting data without disrupting normal station operations.

  Evaluating thermal demand differences among passenger groups in a high-speed railway station waiting hall during summer · 2026 · DOI

• This study has primarily focused on forecasting performance across different models and use cases.

  The Impact of Occupancy Dynamics on Indoor CO2 Forecasting: A Cross-Scenario Evaluation · 2026 · DOI

• The passive geometry of a light well may not provide stable illuminance under seasonal changes. Fixed daylighting devices may not be effective under varying solar altitude and azimuth conditions.

  Improving the Luminous Environment of Underground Spaces Using an Active Multistage Light Shelf Integrated with a Light Well · 2026 · DOI

• The impact of carbon dioxide on thermal comfort is ambiguous. Prior models do not accurately consider the effect of CO2 levels.

  Thermal Comfort in Intelligent Buildings—The Impact of the CO2 Level on Thermal Sensations and the Development of a Modified Thermal Comfort Model · 2026 · DOI

• Further studies could investigate the impact of AC waste heat on the urban microclimate in different climates and urban geometries, - Research could focus on developing more efficient AC systems that minimize waste heat, - Studies could explore the potential of urban planning and design strategies to mitigate the urban heat island…

  Quantifying the impact of air conditioner waste heat on neighbourhood scale microclimate and building energy demand in hypothetical urban blocks · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

• A review on buildings energy information: Trends, end-uses, fuels and drivers · Energy Reports · 2021 · 996 citations
• All you need to know about model predictive control for buildings · Annual Reviews in Control · 2020 · 995 citations
• A NEW ADDITIVE RATIO ASSESSMENT (ARAS) METHOD IN MULTICRITERIA DECISION‐MAKING / NAUJAS ADITYVINIS KRITERIJŲ SANTYKIŲ ĮVERTINIMO METODAS (ARAS) DAUGIAKRITERINIAMS UŽDAVINIAMS SPRĘSTI · Technological and Economic Development of Economy · 2010 · 850 citations
• A review of machine learning in building load prediction · Applied Energy · 2021 · 636 citations
• Reinforcement learning for building controls: The opportunities and challenges · Applied Energy · 2020 · 574 citations
• Building thermal load prediction through shallow machine learning and deep learning · Applied Energy · 2020 · 486 citations
• A review of the-state-of-the-art in data-driven approaches for building energy prediction · Energy and Buildings · 2020 · 480 citations
• A deep learning framework for building energy consumption forecast · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · 2020 · 471 citations
• A review of strategies for building energy management system: Model predictive control, demand side management, optimization, and fault detect & diagnosis · Journal of Building Engineering · 2020 · 434 citations
• Assessment of the renewable energy generation towards net-zero energy buildings: A review · Energy and Buildings · 2021 · 430 citations

Most recent work

• Enhancing CFD computational efficiency using hybrid data-driven and physics-based modeling · Case Studies in Thermal Engineering · 2026
• Occupant behavior and building type jointly shape indoor heat stress in Guangzhou urban villages · Building and Environment · 2026
• Enhancing cross-individual generalizability of thermal sensation prediction in dynamic environments: integrating physiological, emotional, and environmental features · Building and Environment · 2026
• Multi-Objective Optimization of Daylighting for an Office Space in a Very Hot Climate: A Comparison of Corrugated, Perforated, and Separated Shadings · Buildings · 2026
• Enhancing the prediction of heating and cooling loads in residential buildings using explainable XGBoost: a comparative analysis of SHAP and LIME techniques · Artificial Intelligence Review · 2026
• A cross-climate multi-stage approach to life-cycle carbon sensitivity analysis in BIPV-integrated building design · Energy and Buildings · 2026
• Optimizing daylighting performance and energy efficiency through the integration of parametric split louvers in office buildings · Energy and Built Environment · 2026
• Evaluation of Thermal Performance of Innovative Insulation Materials for Energy-Efficient Buildings in Cold Climates · International Journal of Thermofluids · 2026
• Benchmarking Automated Machine Learning for Building Energy Performance Prediction: A Comparative Study with SHAP-Based Interpretability · Buildings · 2026
• Architectural Design Follows Energy Analysis: A Case of Residential Buildings in Bahrain · Buildings · 2026

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