Energidesign

Energidesign is an interdisciplinary approach that integrates energy considerations into the design of products, services, buildings, and urban systems. It emphasizes how energy is generated, stored, consumed, and managed across the lifecycle, aiming to reduce overall energy demand and to maximize the use of renewable sources.

The field brings together engineering, architecture, industrial design, interaction design, and urban planning. Core principles include energy efficiency, decarbonization, integration of renewable sources, demand-side management, lifecycle energy assessment, consideration of user behavior, resilience, and circularity.

Methods and tools used in energidesign include energy modelling and simulation (such as building energy simulations and sizing of on-site renewables), life cycle assessment, energy economics, parametric design and optimization, digital twins, and participatory design methods to align technology with user needs.

Applications span architecture and construction (net-zero or zero-energy buildings), product design (low-energy devices and modular systems), district and microgrid planning, transportation and mobility solutions, and service design that reduces energy use through behavior and policy-enabled design.

History and adoption: The concept of energidesign developed alongside advances in sustainable design and policy in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and has grown as digital tools enabled more precise energy accounting. It is taught in multidisciplinary programs and cited in professional standards.

Challenges include integrating disparate data and disciplines, measuring impact, upfront costs, regulatory barriers, and the need for common standards and interoperability. The approach must balance energy goals with other design objectives and social considerations.

See also energy efficiency, sustainable design, life cycle assessment, district energy, net-zero energy, renewable energy integration.