Bibliometric analysis of literature on retro-commissioning for buildings

Purpose Buildings account for 40% of global energy consumption and 36% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To mitigate climate change and reduce the GHG emissions, enhancing the performance of buildings is the core of the energy and climate policies. Retro-commissioning (RCx), a systematic process to periodically check and improve existing buildings' performance, offers a promising strategy in this regard. Although RCx has been increasingly promoted, its thorough implementation remains uncommon in practice, and the state of RCx research is inadequately understood. Design/methodology/approach To address this gap, a comprehensive review of prior RCx studies was conducted through a bibliometric analysis of the literature. Following a systematic review approach, relevant research articles retrieved from ScienceDirect and Scopus were investigated. The interconnections among the authors, regions, journals, organizations and keywords of the articles were analyzed using the VOSviewer software. Findings The analysis results revealed the fragmented nature of the authors, regions, organizations and journal networks, indicating insufficient research on RCx and suggesting the need for enhanced collaboration among regions and experts in this area. The keyword analysis revealed the main research themes from previous studies and a temporal shift in RCx research focus, indicating emerging trends and underexplored areas within the field. Originality/value The outcomes of this study provide a clear overview of the past and recent research trends, beaconing future research directions to enhance the understanding and implementation of RCx projects.