Grupo Alarcos · Journal article · 2025

Impact on energy consumption of design patterns, code smells and refactoring techniques: A systematic mapping study

Olivia Poy García de Marina, María Ángeles Moraga de la Rubia, Félix Óscar García Rubio, Coral Calero Muñoz

Journal of Systems and Software · 2025 · 18 citations (OpenAlex) · Q1

Software energy efficiency is an increasingly relevant aspect that should be taken into account during software development and some of the most common design and coding decisions include the use of design patterns, the removal of code smells and the use of refactoring techniques. Therefore, the aim of this systematic mapping study is to provide an overview on the impact that design patterns, code smells, and refactoring techniques have on the energy consumption of software. This may assist practitioners in developing energy-efficient software as well as the research community in undertaking further research on the topic. The results of the primary studies showed that design patterns, code smells and refactoring techniques impact software energy consumption. However, not all of them have a clear positive or negative effect, which requires further study. Overall, the use of design patterns seems to have a negative impact on energy consumption, the removal of code smells tends to have a more positive impact. We found no conclusive result on the relationship between using refactoring techniques and energy consumption.