Energy-efficient Building Systems - Specialization
Energy-efficient Building Systems
In this specialization, students learn how energy-saving technologies contribute to developing sustainable energy solutions for buildings. The focus is on designing and implementing technologies that reduce energy consumption for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and other building services, while integrating renewable energy sources for optimized, holistic solutions.
Graduates will have expert knowledge in designing and developing components and entire buildings that use significantly less energy than conventional designs. This applies to both new construction and existing buildings and covers both thermal and electrical energy use. The specialization includes work on building envelopes, technical systems, and equipment performance.
Career opportunities include roles in consulting firms and industrial companies producing materials, components, and equipment for energy-efficient buildings.
Polytechnic foundation courses (10 ECTS):
The following courses are mandatory:
| 12100 | Quantitative methods to assess sustainability (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | F7 (Tues 18-22) |
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| 12106 | Quantitative methods to assess sustainability (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | Autumn E3B (Fri 13-17) |
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| 12105 | Quantitative methods to assess sustainability (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | E7 (Tues 18-22) |
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| 12101 | Quantitative methods to assess sustainability (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | Spring F3B (Fri 13-17) |
| 42500 | Innovation in Engineering (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | January |
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| 42504 | Innovation in Engineering (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | August |
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| 42501 | Innovation in Engineering (Polytechnical Foundation) | 5 | point | June |
Students with advanced innovation competences may take one of the following courses as an alternative to 42500/42501/42504:
| 42502 | Facilitating Innovation in Multidisciplinary Teams | 5 | point | January |
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| 42505 | Facilitating Innovation in Multidisciplinary Teams | 5 | point | August |
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| 42503 | Facilitating Innovation in Multidisciplinary Teams | 5 | point | June |
The following course can be taken as an alternative to the mandatory course 12100/12106/12105/12101:
| 41636 | Design for Circular Economy | 5 | point | January |
Programme-specific courses (50 ECTS)
Innovation Course II: Select one of the following courses (5 ECTS):
| 38102 | Technology Entrepreneurship | 5 | point | Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 42014 | Environmental and Resource Economics | 5 | point | F7 (Tues 18-22) |
| 42015 | Energy Economics | 5 | point | Autumn E3B (Fri 13-17) |
| 42016 | Business Economics and Finance | 5 | point | Spring F3B (Fri 13-17) |
The following three courses are compulsory components of the programme (15 ECTS in total):
| 46205 | Feasibility studies of energy projects | 5 | point | Autumn E3A (Tues 8-12) |
| 46740 | Distributed energy technologies, modelling and control | 5 | point | Spring F1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 46770 | Integrated energy grids | 5 | point | Spring F5A (Wed 8-12) |
Choose at least 10 ECTS from the following courses:
| 42112 | Mathematical Programming Modelling | 5 | point | January |
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| 42114 | Integer Programming | 5 | point | Autumn E4A (Tues 13-17) |
| 46120 | Scientific Programming for Wind Energy | 5 | point | Spring F2B (Thurs 8-12) |
| 46755 | Renewables in electricity markets | 5 | point | Spring F2A (Mon 13-17) |
Choose at least 5 ECTS from the following technology-related courses:
| 34552 | Photovoltaic systems | 5 | point | Spring F2B (Thurs 8-12) |
| 41418 | Green fuels and power-to-x | 5 | point | Spring F3A (Tues 8-12) |
| 41468 | Sustainable District Heating | 5 | point | Spring F1A (Mon 8-12) |
| 46200 | Planning and Development of Wind Farms | 5 | point | January |
| 47301 | Hydrogen energy and fuel cells | 5 | point | Spring F1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 47330 | Energy storage and conversion | 5 | point | Autumn E1A (Mon 8-12) |
| 47334 | Carbon capture, utilization, and storage | 5 | point | Spring F3A (Tues 8-12) |
The following courses are mandatory for the specialization (10 ECTS):
| 41462 | Building Performance Simulation | 5 | point | Autumn E5A (Wed 8-12) |
| 41466 | Sustainable heating and cooling of buildings | 5 | point | Spring F4A (Tues 13-17) |
Choose at least 5 ECTS among the following courses:
| 12362 | Daylighting and Lighting | 5 | point | Autumn E3B (Fri 13-17) |
| 12611 | Heat and mass transfer in buildings | 5 | point | Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 41465 | Computational Fluid Dynamics for Buildings | 5 | point | Autumn E5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 41468 | Sustainable District Heating | 5 | point | Spring F1A (Mon 8-12) |
| 41469 | Solar resource assessment and forecasting | 5 | point | Autumn E4A (Tues 13-17) |
Elective courses (30 ECTS):
Any course classified as MSc-level in DTU’s course catalogue may be taken as an elective. This also includes programme-specific courses beyond the minimum requirements listed above. Master’s students may count up to 10 ECTS from DTU bachelor-level courses or equivalent courses from other higher education institutions. Additionally, MSc-level courses from other Danish or international universities can be included as electives.
In addition to the programme-specific courses mentioned above, the following elective courses are suggested for this specialization:
| 02417 | Time Series Analysis | 5 | point | Spring F4B (Fri 8-12) |
| 02435 | Decision-Making Under Uncertainty | 5 | point | Spring F4A (Tues 13-17) |
| 12360 | Indoor Climate | 10 | point | Spring F5 (Wed 8-17) |
| 12361 | Ventilation and Climatic Systems | 10 | point | Autumn E1 (Mon 8-12, Thurs 13-17) |
| 12772 | Life Cycle Assessment of Products and Systems | 10 | point | Autumn E1 (Mon 8-12, Thurs 13-17) |
| 41420 | Refrigeration and Heat Pump Technology | 10 | point | Autumn E5 (Wed 8-17) |
| 41463 | High performance buildings | 10 | point | Autumn E2 (Mon 13-17, Thurs 8-12) |
| 41464 | Solar Heating Systems | 10 | point | Spring F3 (Tues 8-12, Fri 13-17) |
Master's thesis (30 ECTS):
The MSc thesis must be conducted within the area of the specialization. The project may be completed in collaboration with a relevant company.
Specializations are recommended pathways for selecting courses within the curriculum. Applicants are admitted to the programme and not to a specific specialization and may choose any courses within the curriculum according to the guidelines provided. However, if the requirements for a specialization are completed, the specialization title may be added to the diploma.
Study track responsible
Christian Anker Hviid Associate Professor Phone: +45 45251886 Mobile: +45 40879749 cahv@dtu.dk