Energy-efficient construction has been developing only since recent times; however, the field of its application is surprising. Why is it so? First, there is the continuous increase of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. In such case, there is an urgent necessity to reduce the volume of fuel consumed as a whole. Second, energy recourses become expensive due to decreasing of renewable energy sources. Consequently, energy savings become a global question. One of the areas to reduce energy consumption is housing, which consumes approximately 30 to 40% of all energy resources. Presently, there are countries that have lower intakes of energy for heating buildings already and they are entering the near future with technology of the construction of buildings with zero energy consumption. The object of this work is to design a demonstration model of a building with energy consumption close to zero. The current article describes activities that reduce energy consumption of the building by selecting the rational architectural planning and three-dimensional solution.

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Island states such as the ones discussed in this article are dependent on energy imports, which puts a lot of pressure on their budgets. In addition, limited land areas and difficult environmental conditions contribute to the need to transform the energy sector. Such a transformation in modern conditions is possible only in the direction of sustainable energy. This transition is complex and requires several parallel processes, one of which is the digitalization of the energy sector. The countries studied in this article started the process of transforming their energy sectors, and the results are different. The article is aimed at disclosing the current state and prospects in the energy sector in the context of developing a universal strategy for sustainable energy transformation. The authors point out the main achievements and barriers in this area and develop a multiplier to find out the real situation in the sector in island states. The key findings of the article include the development of a multiplier, evidence that institutional barriers are central to sustainable energy development, and a comprehensive analysis of the role of digitalization in shaping a sustainable energy system.

The concept of circular economy has factually become a cornerstone for describing a necessary redesign of a hypothetic Arctic industrial eco-system or geosocioeconomic (GSE) system to get to a better sustainability. Given the quarter-century-old post-Soviet hibernation of Russian Arctic politics, the authors have largely focused their research on an analysis of relevant foreign sources. These sources were grouped by the following topics: (1) a model of the circular economy as the most suitable for such a remote and vulnerable region as the Arctic; (2) modifying the model of consumers’ consumption taking into account the main principles of circular economy; and (3) creating a mental sustainability construct in the mind of sustainability stakeholders with emphasis on current and future students. Despite the fact that consumers’ consumption holds a prominent role on the way toward the sustainable development of Arctic regions the said role is not well accounted for in the literature on circular economy. This paper contains the appeal to continue studying thoroughly the relationship between consumers’ consumption and building a circular economy in the light of implementing the concept of sustainable development, which is especially important for the Arctic. The paper is supplied with graphic materials that could have a didactic value.

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