A Review on the Policy, Technology and Evaluation Method of Low-Carbon Buildings and Communities

In order to address global warming, most countries in the world have established carbon neutral targets and are continuously taking action to achieve carbon neutrality. The building sector accounts for 36% of end-use energy consumption and 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions globally, so carbon mitigation in building sector is considered to be the most critical step in completing the “last mile” of global carbon neutrality. Low-carbon buildings and communities are the foundation for achieving low-carbon cities and the key transition to reach the goal of carbon neutrality. Therefore, this review aimed to: (a) provide a comprehensive review of countries’ policies on low-carbon buildings and communities and a theoretical basis for improving the corresponding laws and regulations; (b) investigate low-carbon technologies related to building and community construction and operation, as well as identify the current technology gaps; (c) provide a comprehensive overview of low-carbon buildings and communities assessment systems to analyze and evaluate the economic, technical, environmental and social benefits of current building and community energy systems; and (d) identify enablers and barriers in low-carbon buildings and communities to provide direction for future research. The results of this paper can provide comprehensive insights in to further achieving low-carbon buildings and communities.