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Digitizing buildings sustainability assessment: Integrating energy audits, operational energy assessments, and life cycle assessments for enhanced building assessment

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  • Spudys, Paulius
  • Jurelionis, Andrius
  • Fokaides, Paris

Abstract

In the context of escalating environmental concerns and technological evolution, this paper examines the convergence and evolution of three cornerstone methodologies in sustainable building management: energy audits, operational energy assessments, and life cycle assessments, with a particular focus on the role of digitization. Recent advancements have not only refined these methodologies but also facilitated their integration, leveraging digital tools and big data analytics for enhanced accuracy and efficiency. Through an analytical lens, this study investigates how digitization enables a seamless overlap among these assessments, providing a multidimensional view of a building's energy and environmental performance. Additionally, this study introduces a proposed indicator that balances energy savings with embodied carbon emissions, facilitating data-driven decision-making. Case study is employed to illustrate the practical application and benefits of integrating digitized methodologies in achieving superior sustainability outcomes. For instance, several building energy improvement options were considered and the analysis revealed that the best trade-off solution will result in 9.88 % reduction in annual energy consumption and a 6.14 % increase in GWP, resulting in a GWP per energy saved of 8.52E+01, kg CO2 eq./kWh. The findings propose a forward-looking framework that harnesses the power of digital technologies to streamline the assessment processes, enabling more sophisticated, data-driven decision-making in building design, operation, and decommissioning for minimized environmental impact and optimized energy efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Spudys, Paulius & Jurelionis, Andrius & Fokaides, Paris, 2025. "Digitizing buildings sustainability assessment: Integrating energy audits, operational energy assessments, and life cycle assessments for enhanced building assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:316:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225000714
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134429
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elisabetta Palumbo & Bernardette Soust-Verdaguer & Carmen Llatas & Marzia Traverso, 2020. "How to Obtain Accurate Environmental Impacts at Early Design Stages in BIM When Using Environmental Product Declaration. A Method to Support Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-24, August.
    2. Paris A. Fokaides & Rasa Apanaviciene & Jurgita Černeckiene & Andrius Jurelionis & Egle Klumbyte & Vilma Kriauciunaite-Neklejonoviene & Darius Pupeikis & Donatas Rekus & Jolanta Sadauskiene & Lina Sed, 2020. "Research Challenges and Advancements in the field of Sustainable Energy Technologies in the Built Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
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    4. Moudgil, Vipul & Hewage, Kasun & Hussain, Syed Asad & Sadiq, Rehan, 2023. "Integration of IoT in building energy infrastructure: A critical review on challenges and solutions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
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