Challenges of Energy Sustainability and Achieving Zero-Energy Office Buildings in shiraz

Given the growing energy consumption and the urgent need to develop sustainable construction patterns, this study systematically examines the barriers affecting the realization of low-energy and zero-energy buildings. Accordingly, the research aims to identify and prioritize the challenges to achieving zero-energy office buildings in Shiraz, with a particular focus on city’s educational buildings, The research data were collected through a validated questionnaire with a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and analyzed using the multi-criteria decision-making method SWARA (Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) to determine the relative weight and significance of each challenge. The results indicate that the challenges fall into ten main dimensions: economic and financial, legal and policy, technical and technological, managerial and organizational, educational and capacity-building, cultural and behavioral, infrastructural and energy, climatic and environmental, market and supply chain, and research and development. The most critical barriers identified include the high cost of advanced technologies (weight = 0.240), the lack of dedicated regulations (weight = 0.292), limited access to advanced technologies such as intelligent energy management systems (weight = 0.293), the lack of prior implementation experience (weight = 0.302), the absence of specialized training (weight = 0.331), insufficient awareness among managers (weight = 0.334), instability of the power grid (weight = 0.324), extreme climatic conditions (weight = 0.340), fluctuations in market conditions and equipment prices (weight = 0.332), and weak university–industry collaboration (weight = 0.333). These factors collectively represent the most significant obstacles to achieving zero-energy buildings in Shiraz.