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Magnitude, Causes, and Solutions of the Performance Gap of Buildings: A Review

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  • Xing Shi

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Binghui Si

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Jiangshan Zhao

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Zhichao Tian

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Chao Wang

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Xing Jin

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

  • Xin Zhou

    (Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210096, China
    School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China)

Abstract

The performance gap of buildings is commonly defined as the difference between the performance value predicted in the design stage and that measured in the post-occupancy stage. Knowledge about the performance gap of buildings is valuable in many aspects and thus is a research subject drawing much attention. Important questions that should be asked include: (1) Definition: what is the performance gap of buildings? (2) Magnitude: how large is the performance gap of buildings? (3) Techniques: how to determine the performance gap of buildings? (4) Causes: what are the reasons leading to the performance gap of buildings? (5) Solutions: how to bridge the performance gap of buildings. By collecting and analyzing more than 20 published works with reported data on the performance gap of buildings and other research articles, these important questions are addressed. Through this review state-of-the-art knowledge regarding the performance gap of buildings is presented. Major conclusions are drawn and future research directions are pointed out.

Suggested Citation

  • Xing Shi & Binghui Si & Jiangshan Zhao & Zhichao Tian & Chao Wang & Xing Jin & Xin Zhou, 2019. "Magnitude, Causes, and Solutions of the Performance Gap of Buildings: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:3:p:937-:d:205205
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Goldfischer, Oren & Kissinger, Meidad & Riemer, Raziel, 2024. "An integrated consumption and production framework for analysing institutional greenhouse gas mitigation potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    2. Christine Eon & Jessica K. Breadsell & Joshua Byrne & Gregory M. Morrison, 2020. "The Discrepancy between As-Built and As-Designed in Energy Efficient Buildings: A Rapid Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-28, August.
    3. Piscitelli, Marco Savino & Giudice, Rocco & Capozzoli, Alfonso, 2024. "A holistic time series-based energy benchmarking framework for applications in large stocks of buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    4. Ardeshir Mahdavi & Christiane Berger & Hadeer Amin & Eleni Ampatzi & Rune Korsholm Andersen & Elie Azar & Verena M. Barthelmes & Matteo Favero & Jakob Hahn & Dolaana Khovalyg & Henrik N. Knudsen & Ale, 2021. "The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-44, March.
    5. Christian Buschbeck & Jens Teubler, 2025. "Estimating future thresholds for the 15% eligibility criteria of the EU taxonomy with limited data availability," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 1-22, April.
    6. Pierryves Padey & Kyriaki Goulouti & Guy Wagner & Blaise Périsset & Sébastien Lasvaux, 2021. "Understanding the Reasons behind the Energy Performance Gap of an Energy-Efficient Building, through a Probabilistic Approach and On-Site Measurements," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-15, September.
    7. Shaoxiong Li & Le Liu & Changhai Peng, 2020. "A Review of Performance-Oriented Architectural Design and Optimization in the Context of Sustainability: Dividends and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-36, February.
    8. Joana Gonçalves & Ricardo Mateus & José Dinis Silvestre & Ana Pereira Roders, 2020. "Going beyond Good Intentions for the Sustainable Conservation of Built Heritage: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-28, November.
    9. Bai, Yefei & Yu, Cong & Pan, Wei, 2024. "Systematic examination of energy performance gap in low-energy buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    10. Fonseca, Jimeno A. & Nevat, Ido & Peters, Gareth W., 2020. "Quantifying the uncertain effects of climate change on building energy consumption across the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    11. Giuseppe Salvia & Eugenio Morello & Federica Rotondo & Andrea Sangalli & Francesco Causone & Silvia Erba & Lorenzo Pagliano, 2020. "Performance Gap and Occupant Behavior in Building Retrofit: Focus on Dynamics of Change and Continuity in the Practice of Indoor Heating," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-25, July.
    12. Antoine Reguis & Behrang Vand & John Currie, 2021. "Challenges for the Transition to Low-Temperature Heat in the UK: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-26, November.

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