Award for Best Scientific Article of the ETSI of the 4th Quarter of 2022

The Jury of the Best Scientific Article of the Quarter Award at the ETSI has awarded the Best Scientific Article of the ETSI Award for the 4th Quarter of 2022to the work entitled “A review on buildings energy information: Trends, end-uses, fuel and drivers”, Energy Reports, vol. 8, November 2022, pp. 626-637. DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2021.11.280 by María González-Torres, Luis Pérez-Lombard, Juan Francisco Coronel, Ismael Maestre and Yan D.

Summary

Buildings are a major contributor to climate change, accounting for a third of global energy consumption and a quarter of CO2 emissions. However, comprehensive information is lacking for the development, evaluation, and monitoring of policies to mitigate their impact. This document analyzes energy use by building type, energy services, and fuel source, and discusses the challenges regarding the reliability and consistency of available data.

Residential buildings are the largest consumers, accounting for approximately three-quarters of global building energy consumption, despite the expansion of the service sector in recent years. Sixty percent of global service sector energy consumption is still concentrated in OECD countries, although consumption in developing countries will continue to grow exponentially as their standard of living rises and, consequently, their levels of education, health, leisure, and entertainment improve.

Regarding the analysis by energy services, heating and cooling systems account for 38% of consumption, which necessitates strengthening policies in this area and incentivizing modernization. Furthermore, electrification is increasing rapidly, constituting a tool for mitigating climate change if its generation were promoted through renewable sources.

After analyzing the factors driving energy trends over the past 20 years, it is concluded that the increase in energy use will only be curbed if global cooperation enables developing nations to break the link between economic growth, urbanization, and consumption. To achieve this, it is necessary to improve efficiency in both construction and infrastructure, decarbonize the energy mix, and raise public awareness about energy conservation and self-sufficiency.