# BEST--Building Energy-Saving Tool for Sustainable Residential Buildings
## 1 Introduction
#### The Proposed Tool: BEST  
This research aims to develop BEST--Building Energy-Saving Tool for Sustainable Residential Buildings--an innovative decision-support tool for designing energy retrofitting interventions in the residential sector. This tool seeks to overcome the limitations of currently available tools by introducing a simplified and standardized approach to optimizing building energy performance. Compared to the tools analyzed earlier, BEST stands out for \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline
**Tool** & **Objective** & **Strengths** & **Weaknesses** \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{These methods assist experts in} \\  & conducting a comprehensive \\ EPIQR & building diagnosis that \\ (Energy Performance & encompasses building & User-friendly interface; \\ Indoor environment & deterioration, energy & includes economic and \\ Quality Retrofit) & performance, indoor & technical factors. & \\  & environmental quality, and & \\  & compliance with relevant & \\  & standards and regulations. & \\ \multicolumn{4}{c}{} \\ \multirow{2}{*}{Facade Refurbishment Toolbox} & Supports design decisions in the & Design-oriented; \\  & energy upgrade of building & includes aesthetic and \\  & facades. & technical criteria. & \\  & & \\  & Decision-Making tool for & Scalable from building \\ DanCTPlan energy & sustainable energy planning and & to district level; \\ planning tool & retrofitting in Danish & integrates planning \\  & communities and districts. & tools. \\ Dutch Decision-Support & Facilitates decision-making for & Considers \\  & sustainable renovation in social & environmental and \\ Tool & Noising. & social benefits; \\ Urban-scale Classification & Classifies energy performance of & Supports urban energy \\ Tool & classifies energy performance of & planning; \\  & residential stock at urban scale. & integrative data use. \\ AutoBPS & Automates urban building energy & Minimizes manual \\ (Automated Building & modeling using public data. & suitable for large-scale \\ Performance Simulation) & A free virtual platform that & ease of use; \\  & evaluates energy efficiency & integrated assessment \\ TecSB Sustainable Building & measures applicable to building & of energy efficiency and \\ Calculator & roofs and windows, as well as the & solar energy generation; \\  & potential for on-site energy & estimates of avoided \\  & generation in Mexico. & greenhouse gas \\  & & emissions and payback \\  & & periods for investments. \\  & & Energy efficiency \\  & & improvements limited \\ OTTV & Assesses energy efficiency of & to walls and windows; \\ (Overall Thermal Transfer & high-rise buildings using OTTV & Applicability in tropical \\ Value Tool) & & climates. & restricted geographical \\  & & applicability; \\  & & lack of economic \\  & & analysis of the \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: _Cont._its ability to guide designers in identifying the most effective solutions without requiring complex inputs on the stratigraphy or thermo-physical parameters of building components. The key innovations introduced include:  
* Automated solution selection: The tool enables the selection of vertical and horizontal closures based on predefined parameters such as the era of construction, building type, and climatic zone. * Rapid pre-analysis of energy performance: Provides a preliminary assessment of energy-saving potential and compares proposed solutions in terms of energy performance and economic feasibility, in accordance with the current national regulatory framework. * Advanced economic evaluation: Unlike other tools, BEST includes the calculation of NPV and the identification of applicable economic incentives. * Focus on off-site construction: Proposes standardized solutions in line with the principles of industrialized and sustainable construction. The methodology was developed by CITERA, the research center at Sapienza University of Rome, within the framework of the \"Research of the Electricity System\" program, in collaboration with ENEA and the Ministry of Economic Development.