Journal of Building Performance Simulation

From Innovation to Implementation: Control Technologies for Decarbonized, Flexible and Grid-Interactive Buildings

As we advance towards a decarbonized economy, buildings must evolve from passive, reactive consumers to proactive, flexible agents within a greener power grid. A key part of this change is the widespread adoption of innovative, dynamic control strategies. This special issue explores how building performance simulation and data-driven methodologies can support the uptake of advanced solutions in building operation. This SI is intended as a platform for researchers and practitioners to share innovations that help bridge the divide between theory and field deployment, especially in areas that treat buildings as part of larger energy systems.

We invite original research and case studies that investigate how building performance simulation can help address the "implementation gap" in building operation. While this special issue coordinates with the eSim 2026 conference to feature expanded versions of select papers, the call is open to all contributions that align with the practical implementation of decarbonized and grid-interactive building control. We particularly encourage submissions related to decarbonization and grid-interactive control strategies.

SCOPE AND THEMES

• Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB): Development and application of dynamic simulation methods to evaluate demand-side flexibility, load shifting, and the integration of buildings as active assets within renewable-heavy electric grids.
• Scaling Advanced Control Solutions: Strategies for adapting advanced control approaches (such as model predictive control, MPC and reinforcement learning, RL) to real-life constraints, including different approaches on model complexity, applying data, and deployment pathways across building portfolios.
• Enhancement of Energy of Flexibility Through Energy Storage: Methodologies to optimize the utilization of building thermal mass, dedicated thermal storage, and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
• Practical Ways to Assess and Optimize Resilience: Ways to improve the resilience of buildings facing extreme events (heat waves, forest fires, floods, long-term power outages).
• Smart Control Systems for Novel HVAC Technologies: Control algorithms for innovative heat pump technologies, to make them more efficient in the context of grid-responsive operation.
• Optimization of Building-Integrated Renewables: Strategies coupling architectural design, load coordination, and weather forecasting to maximize on-site energy self-sufficiency.
• Field Demonstrations and Validation: Case studies and pilot projects which demonstrate the application of advanced controls into existing building systems, focusing on hardware interoperability and protocols, and long-term performance.
• Occupant-Centric Controls: Strategies for deploying controls that balance grid-flexibility requirements with IEQ, occupant comfort, preferences, and feedback from the building occupants