Digitization of Building and Community Electrification

Project overview

A collaborative research program between researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University and Concordia, this project aims to advance the digitization of electrification platforms suitable for grid-friendly applications in buildings and communities.

The research will focus on creating simplified models for renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), thermal, hybrid PVT collectors, heat pumps, batteries and electric vehicles.

The project was inspired by the recognition that Canada's two largest energy-consuming sectors are building construction and power generation --- with the building sector alone accounting for more than 50 per cent of total electricity consumption.

Key project details

Principal investigator	Alan Fung, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University
Co-principal investigators	Caroline Hachem-Vermette, associate professor, Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University; Jenn McArthur, associate chair, Graduate Studies, Project Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Research collaborators	Bala Venkatesh, Atefeh Mashatan, Wey Leong, Abbas Ghasemi, Naima Cherchem, Julia Aman
Non-academic partners	National Research Council, Independent Electricity System Operator, Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, S2E Technologies, Schneider Electric, Enbridge Gas Distribution and Natural Resources Canada
Research keywords	Digitization, electrification platform, smart dual fuel switching system, hybrid system, smart thermostat, IoT, nano-grid, micro-grid, model predictive control, transactive control
Budget	Cash: $400,000 In-Kind: $425,000

Publications:

M. Brands and A. S. Fung, “Viability of large-scale wastewater- and ground-source distributed heat pump systems for cold-climate urban decarbonization: case study of a proposed campus building,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 108, p. 112776, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112776.

Y. Fong and A. S. Fung, “Review and analysis of wind and solar PV farms power outputs to meet Ontario hourly electricity demand with optimal sizing of PV farms, wind farms, and energy storage systems,” E3S Web Conf., vol. 629, p. 05006, 2025, doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/202562905006.

J. Lytle, Z. Radewych, K. V. Mai, and A. S. Fung, “A Review and Characterization of Energy-Harvesting Resources in Buildings with a Case Study of a Commercial Building in a Cold Climate—Toronto, Canada,” Energies, vol. 18, no. 8, p. 1913, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.3390/en18081913.

K. Ethirveerasingham, A. S. Fung, and R. Kumar, “Experimental study and feasibility analysis of gas absorption heat pump applications in Canada,” Energy Efficiency, vol. 18, no. 4, p. 33, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1007/s12053-025-10321-5.

A. H. Eisapour, A. S. Fung, A. Shafaghat, and K. Khosravi, “Enhancing hydrogen storage efficiency in metal hydride tanks through conical heat exchangers and phase change material integration,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 109, pp. 1090–1107, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.02.146.

E. D. Kerme, A. S. Fung, and M. Z. Saghir, “Performance Optimization of Double U‐Tube Borehole Heat Exchanger for Thermal Energy Storage,” Energy Storage, vol. 7, no. 2, p. e70145, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1002/est2.70145.

K. Tung, R. Kumar, A. S. Fung, and W. H. Leong, “Residential Air Source Heat Pump Water Heater Performance Testing and Feasibility Analysis in Cold Climate,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 5, p. 2234, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.3390/su17052234.

N. Kadir and A. S. Fung, “Integrated Micro- and Nano-Grid with Focus on Net-Zero Renewable Energy—A Survey Paper,” Energies, vol. 18, no. 4, p. 794, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.3390/en18040794.

E. D. Kerme, W. S. Alzahrani, A. S. Fung, and W. H. Leong, “Experimental investigation of ground-source heat pump system coupled to vertical and horizontal ground loops: A case study,” Renewable Energy, vol. 236, p. 121482, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121482.

E. Vuong, A. S. Fung, and R. Kumar, “Performance Enhancement of a Building-Integrated Photovoltaic/Thermal System Coupled with an Air Source Heat Pump,” Energies, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 12, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.3390/en18010012.

K. Ethirveerasingham, A. S. Fung, and R. Kumar, “TRNSYS modelling and feasibility study of natural gas absorption heat pump (GAHP) for Canadian homes,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 257, p. 124179, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124179.

E. M. Salilih, E. D. Kerme, A. S. Fung, W. H. Leong, and W. D. Leon-Salas, “Study of the Transient Heat Transfer of a Single-U-Tube Ground Heat Exchanger by Integrating a Forward-Difference Numerical Scheme with an Analytical Technique,” Processes, vol. 12, no. 12, p. 2867, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.3390/pr12122867.

G. Demirezen, A. S. Fung, and A. Brookson, “Grey-Box Energy Modelling of Energy-Efficient House Using Hybrid Optimization Technique of Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Quasi-Newton Algorithms with Markov Chain Monte Carlo Uncertainty Distribution,” Energies, vol. 17, no. 23, p. 5941, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.3390/en17235941.

M. E. Kashan, A. S. Fung, A. Hossein Eisapour, and J. Swift, “Utilizing novel industrialized heat exchanger plate in air-based photovoltaic/thermal collectors to enhance thermal and electrical efficiency,” Energy Conversion and Management: X, vol. 24, p. 100752, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100752.

A. H. Eisapour, M. E. Kashan, and A. S. Fung, “Integrating insulated concrete form (ICF) with solar-driven reverse osmosis desalination for building integrated energy storage in cold climates,” Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 98, p. 113132, Sept. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.est.2024.113132.

B. Wilbur, A. S. Fung, and R. Kumar, “Thermal System and Net-Zero-Carbon Least-Cost Design Optimization of New Detached Houses in Canada,” Buildings, vol. 14, no. 9, p. 2870, Sept. 2024, doi: 10.3390/buildings14092870.

A. H. Eisapour, F. M. Rad, and A. S. Fung, “Techno-economic and environmental study of a hybrid solar ground source heat pumps for a heating-dominated community in a cold climate; a case study in Toronto,” Renewable Energy, vol. 231, p. 120874, Sept. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120874.

E. D. Kerme, A. S. Fung, and W. H. Leong, “Analysis of the Combined Effect of Major Influencing Parameters for Designing High-Performance Single (sBHE) and Double (dBHE) U-Tube Borehole Heat Exchangers,” Energies, vol. 17, no. 11, p. 2525, May 2024, doi: 10.3390/en17112525.

A. A. Baig, A. S. Fung, and R. Kumar, “Auditing and Analysis of Natural Gas Consumptions in Small- and Medium-Sized Industrial Facilities in the Greater Toronto Area for Energy Conservation Opportunities,” Energies, vol. 17, no. 7, p. 1744, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.3390/en17071744.

Accepted publications in national and international conferences:

A. S. Fung, “Advanced Thermal Management in Metal Hydride Hydrogen Storage Systems: Integration of Conical Heat Exchangers and Phase Change Materials,” presented at the CISBAT 2025 Conference, Sept. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://cisbat.epfl.ch/sessions.php

N. Kadir, Dr. A. S. Fung, and Dr. C. Hachem-Vermette, “Predictive and transactive controls for EVE park net-zero community with AI/ML models,” presented at the 2025 Building Simulation Conference, Aug. 2025. doi: 10.26868/25222708.2025.1275.

B. Workneh, A. S. Fung, and E. Vuong, “Techno-Economic and Environmental Feasibility Study of Smart Dual Fuel Switching System (SDFSS) of Hybrid Space Heating for Cost Effective Decarbonization in the Residential Sector,” in 2025 ASHRAE Annual Conference, ASHRAE, Aug. 2025. doi: 10.63044/s25tec79.

A. S. Fung, “Case Study of Residential Energy Management Systems with Solar PV, Wind, and Battery Energy Storage,” presented at the BS 2025, Aug. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://publications.ibpsa.org/conference/?id=bs2025

A. S. Fung, “Enhancing Building Energy and Water Management: Integrating Solar-Driven Reverse Osmosis with Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Thermal Storage,” presented at the 2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference, Feb. 2025.

A. S. Fung, “Performance Comparison of Single and Double U-Tube Borehole Heat Exchangers in Ground Source Heat Pump Systems,” presented at the CSME-CFDSC-CSR 2025, May 2025. [Online]. Available: https://event.fourwaves.com/csme2025/abstracts/b15a8cfa-8703-4b67-b85e-db1d28cceab2

A. S. Fung, “Sensitivity analysis of Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) with Solar-Driven Reverse Osmosis Desalination for Building Integrated Energy Storage in Cold Climates,” presented at the CCESG 2024, Nov. 2024.

A. S. Fung, “Smart Control of Hybrid Space Heating System for Cold Climate Residential Sector Decarbonization – Case Study of Ontario, Canada,” presented at the EEDAL’24 Conference, Oct. 2024.

A. S. Fung, “Feasibility Study of a Hybrid Solar Ground Source Heat Pump to Supply the Heating and Cooling Demands of a Community in Toronto, Ontario,” presented at the 2024 International Building Physics Conference (IBPC), July 2024.

A. S. Fung, “Space Heating Demand Prediction of Residential Houses using High-Frequency, Imprecise Data from Smart Thermostat with AI/ML Techniques,” presented at the 2024 International Building Physics Conference (IBPC), July 2024.

A. S. Fung, “Deep Learning Prediction of Short-Term Hourly Power Outputs of Wind and Solar PV Farms for Real-Time Smart Building HVAC Control,” presented at the CSME/CFD2024, May 2024.

A. S. Fung, “Potential Benefits of Hybrid Space Heating with ASHP and Natural Gas Furnace for a Restaurant Archetype,” presented at the CSME/CFD2024, May 2024.

Maya Mozafary: Queen Elizabeth II Science and Technology Scholarship (QEII-GSST), Ontario, August 8, 2025.

Nourin Kadir: Queen Elizabeth II Science and Technology Scholarship (QEII-GSST), Ontario, August 8, 2025.

Biruk Workneh: Best Student Paper (Master and Undergraduate level), 2025 ASHRAE Annual Conference, June 21, 2025.

Amirhossein Eisapour: Dr. Jacob and Helen Friedman Graduate Award, Toronto Metropolitan University, April 1, 2025.

Biruk Workneh: Black Graduate Student Bursary, Toronto Metropolitan University, April 1, 2024.

Amirhossein Eisapour: ASHRAE Student Travel Grant, 2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference, February 12, 2025.

Amirhossein Eisapour: Invited Speaker with Honorarium, 2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference, February 12, 2025.

Amirhossein Eisapour: Excellent Presentation Award, CCESG 2024, University of New South Wales, November 29, 2024.

Research focus

A detailed 3D model visualization of an urban area with various layers indicating different aspects of the built environment. The image shows a software interface with main layers and services listed on the left side, including options for 'Built Environment', 'Transport', 'Energy', 'Waste' and 'Ecosystem'.

Dual fuel switching system

Creating a Smart Dual Fuel Switching System for a hybrid heating system that uses both an air source heat pump and a fossil-fuel furnace. This system aims to save energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using locally generated sustainable power.

A detailed 3D model visualization of an urban area with various layers indicating different aspects of the built environment. It features a services menu with options such as 'Building Info', 'Energy Demand' and 'Network Solution'.

Renewable energy

Developing advanced control methods for solar communities to use as much locally generated renewable energy as possible and decrease reliance on the regional power grid.

5th generation energy network

Working on a 5th generation energy network (5GDHC) for solar communities that includes seasonal thermal energy storage. This innovative approach provides a reliable and eco-friendly solution for meeting long-term energy needs.