A systematic review on energy-efficient concrete: Indicators, performance metrics, strategies, and future trends

The growing production of concrete is prompting concerns about the sustainability of the construction sector. Therefore, the mitigation of the environmental footprints of concrete as a widely used construction material has become a focus of research. Nonetheless, the growing demand for concrete production and the breadth of its energy efficiency throughout embodied and operating phases pose challenges in tracking energy performance. This study offers a systematic review of the existing body of knowledge regarding the energy efficiency of concrete by analysing bibliometric data from Scopus spanning 2000 to 2022 targeting the entire life cycle of concrete. Quantitative and meta-analysis were conducted, presenting statistical data on the frequency and origin of documents, institutions, and publication sources. Further, the most frequently used keywords were classified into four clusters, followed by a detailed manual review of commonly adopted approaches for increasing the energy efficiency of concrete derived from the systematic review. Reviewing a comprehensive dataset, this study explored and discussed sustainable practices crucial for formulating energy-efficient concrete. The findings provided valuable insights into monitoring the energy performance of concrete considering embodied and operating phases. Additionally, the review highlighted a connection between automation technologies and sustainable construction. The identified results and suggested sustainable solutions can potentially guide academia and industry towards current and future directions concerning the energy efficiency of concrete.