scholarly journals A Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Structural Insulated Panels for Residential Buildings in a Hot and Arid Climate

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Muataz Dhaif ◽  
André Stephan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Structural Insulated Panels ◽  
Operational Energy

In hot and humid climatic conditions, cooling tends to dominate building thermal energy use. Cooling loads can be reduced through the adoption of efficient building envelope materials, such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). This study quantifies the life cycle cost and operational energy of a representative case-study house in Bahrain using SIPs and hollow concrete blocks (HCBs) for the envelope over a period of 50 years. Operational energy is calculated using a dynamic energy simulation tool, operational costs are calculated based on the energy demand and local tariff rates, and construction costs are estimated using market prices and quotations. The life cycle cost is quantified using the Net Present Cost technique. Results show that SIPs yield a 20.6% reduction in cooling energy use compared to HCBs. For SIP costs of 12 and 17 USD/m², the SIP house was cheaper throughout, or had a higher capital cost than the HCB house (breaking even in year 33), respectively. We propose policy recommendations with respect to material pricing, electricity tariffs, and energy efficiency, to improve the operational energy efficiency of houses in Bahrain and similar countries along the Arabian Peninsula.

scholarly journals Residential Solar-Based Seasonal Thermal Storage Systems in Cold Climates: Building Envelope and Thermal Storage

Energies ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 3972-3985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Hugo ◽  
Radu Zmeureanu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Cold Climates ◽  
Solar Collectors

The reduction of electricity use for heating and domestic hot water in cold climates can be achieved by: (1) reducing the heating loads through the improvement of the thermal performance of house envelopes, and (2) using solar energy through a residential solar-based thermal storage system. First, this paper presents the life cycle energy and cost analysis of a typical one-storey detached house, located in Montreal, Canada. Simulation of annual energy use is performed using the TRNSYS software. Second, several design alternatives with improved thermal resistance for walls, ceiling and windows, increased overall air tightness, and increased window-to-wall ratio of South facing windows are evaluated with respect to the life cycle energy use, life cycle emissions and life cycle cost. The solution that minimizes the energy demand is chosen as a reference house for the study of long-term thermal storage. Third, the computer simulation of a solar heating system with solar thermal collectors and long-term thermal storage capacity is presented. Finally, the life cycle cost and life cycle energy use of the solar combisystem are estimated for flat-plate solar collectors and evacuated tube solar collectors, respectively, for the economic and climatic conditions of this study.

scholarly journals Managing climate-change-induced overheating in non-residential buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 02009
Author(s):  
André Badura ◽  
Birgit Mueller ◽  
Ivo Martinac
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Outdoor Climate

Large and rapid climatic changes can be uncomfortable and sometimes hazardous to humans. Buildings protect people from external climatic conditions, and also mitigate the impacts of external climate extremes through their design and construction, as well as with the help of dedicated building service and other technical systems. Active space conditioning accounts for more than 30 per cent of the overall final energy use in Germany. In the life cycle of a building, the construction phase (planning and construction) is the phase with the shortest duration. However, the quality applied during this phase has a significant impact on the resources required, as well as the overall building performance during the much longer operational phase. Once built, buildings are often unable to adapt to boundary conditions that were not considered in the original building design. Consequently, changing outdoor climate conditions can result in an uncomfortable indoor climate over the lifetime of a building. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of flexible solutions for reducing winter heating loads and to reducing/avoiding summer cooling loads in nonresidential buildings in Germany. Various external shading scenarios for non-residential buildings were analysed using the IDA ICE indoor climate and energy simulation tool. Key simulation parameters included the orientation and location of the building, as well as the envelope structure. We investigated the impacts of solar shading on heat storage in the building mass and indoor climate and how different types of envelopes affect overall energy use. The result shows that the use of an adaptive building envelope allows a higher reduction of the total energy demand by 7 % to 15 % compared to an increase in insulation thickness only.

Assessment of the Life Cycle Energy Efficiency of a Primary School Building in Turkey

2019 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 335-343
Author(s):  
Nazanin Moazzen ◽  
Mustafa Erkan Karaguler ◽  
Touraj Ashrafian
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Embodied Energy

Energy efficiency has become a crucial part of human life, which has an adverse impact on the social and economic development of any country. In Turkey, it is a critical issue especially in the construction sector due to increase in the dependency on the fuel demands. The energy consumption, which is used during the life cycle of a building, is a huge amount affected by the energy demand for material and building construction, HVAC and lighting systems, maintenance, equipment, and demolition. In general, the Life Cycle Energy (LCE) needs of the building can be summarised as the operational and embodied energy together with the energy use for demolition and recycling processes.Besides, schools alone are responsible for about 15% of the total energy consumption of the commercial building sector. To reduce the energy use and CO2 emission, the operational and embodied energy of the buildings must be minimised. Overall, it seems that choosing proper architectural measures for the envelope and using low emitting material can be a logical step for reducing operational and embodied energy consumptions.This paper is concentrated on the operating and embodied energy consumptions resulting from the application of different architectural measures through the building envelope. It proposes an educational building with low CO2 emission and proper energy performance in Turkey. To illustrate the method of the approach, this contribution illustrates a case study, which was performed on a representative schoold building in Istanbul, Turkey. Energy used for HVAC and lighting in the operating phase and the energy used for the manufacture of the materials are the most significant parts of embodied energy in the LCE analyses. This case study building’s primary energy consumption was calculated with the help of dynamic simulation tools, EnergyPlus and DesignBuilder. Then, different architectural energy efficiency measures were applied to the envelope of the case study building. Then, the influence of proposed actions on LCE consumption and Life Cycle CO2 (LCCO2) emissions were assessed according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method.

scholarly journals The The Effects of Structural Lightweight Concrete on Energy Performance and Life Cycle Cost in Residential Buildings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safa Nayır ◽  
Ümit Bahadır ◽  
Şakir Erdoğdu ◽  
Vedat Toğan
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Lightweight Concrete ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Life Cycle Costs

Energy efficiency in the construction industry is crucial to reducing increased energy consumption. A significant portion of the energy is consumed in residential buildings. Thermal properties of the materials used in the building envelope can reduce the energy consumed in the buildings and thus contribute to the building economy. For this purpose, in the study, structural lightweight concretes (SLWC) with a lower thermal conductivity than normal weight concrete (NWC) were produced and energy efficiency and life cycle costs were compared between these concretes on a 1 + 1 reference flat. The compressive strength, unit weights and thermal conductivity coefficients of SLWCs and NWC were determined experimentally. Heating and cooling energy consumption and life cycle costs for the flat were calculated using the DesignBuilder simulation program according to the different concrete types produced. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity coefficients of all SLWCs produced were about 37–45 % lower than those of NWC. All mixes of the SLWCs provided energy saving by about 18–25 % compared to the NWC and two SLWCs reduced the life cycle cost by 4 %. In addition, the results showed that the best SLWC about energy was not the best SLWC about life cycle cost.

scholarly journals Integrated economic and environmental building classification and optimal seismic vulnerability/energy efficiency retrofitting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Caruso ◽  
Rui Pinho ◽  
Federica Bianchi ◽  
Francesco Cavalieri ◽  
Maria Teresa Lemmo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Seismic Hazard ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Classification System ◽  
Seismic Vulnerability ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Operational Energy

AbstractA life cycle framework for a new integrated classification system for buildings and the identification of renovation strategies that lead to an optimal balance between reduction of seismic vulnerability and increase of energy efficiency, considering both economic losses and environmental impacts, is discussed through a parametric application to an exemplificative case-study building. Such framework accounts for the economic and environmental contributions of initial construction, operational energy consumption, earthquake-induced damage repair activities, retrofitting interventions, and demolition. One-off and annual monetary expenses and environmental impacts through the building life cycle are suggested as meaningful performance metrics to develop an integrated classification system for buildings and to identify the optimal renovation strategy leading to a combined reduction of economic and environmental impacts, depending on the climatic conditions and the seismic hazard at the site of interest. The illustrative application of the framework to an existing school building is then carried out, investigating alternative retrofitting solutions, including either sole structural retrofitting options or sole energy refurbishments, as well as integrated strategies that target both objectives, with a view to demonstrate its practicality and to explore its ensuing results. The influence of seismic hazard and climatic conditions is quantitatively investigated, by assuming the building to be located into different geographic locations.

scholarly journals LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF TECHNICAL BUILDING SERVICES OF LARGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING STOCKS USING SEMANTIC 3D CITY MODELS

2020 ◽  
Vol VI-4/W1-2020 ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
H. Harter ◽  
B. Willenborg ◽  
W. Lang ◽  
T. H. Kolbe
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
3D City Models ◽  
Methodical Approach ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
City Models

Abstract. Reducing the demand for non-renewable resources and the resulting environmental impact is an objective of sustainable development, to which buildings contribute significantly. In order to realize the goal of reaching a climate-neutral building stock, it must first be analyzed and evaluated in order to develop optimization strategies. The life cycle based consideration and assessment of buildings plays a key role in this process. Approaches and tools already exist for this purpose, but they mainly take the operational energy demand of buildings and not a life cycle based approach into account, especially when assessing technical building services (TBS). Therefore, this paper presents and applies a methodical approach for the life cycle based assessment of the TBS of large residential building stocks, based on semantic 3D city models (CityGML). The methodical approach developed for this purpose describes the procedure for calculating the operational energy demand (already validated) and the heating load of the building, the dimensioning of the TBS components and the calculation of the life cycle assessment. The application of the methodology is illustrated in a case study with over 115,000 residential buildings from Munich, Germany. The study shows that the methodology calculates reliable results and that a significant reduction of the life cycle based energy demand can be achieved by refurbishment measures/scenarios. Nevertheless, the goal of achieving a climate-neutral building stock is a challenge from a life cycle perspective.

scholarly journals Two-Stage Lifecycle Energy Optimization of Mid-Rise Residential Buildings with Building-Integrated Photovoltaic and Alternative Composite Façade Materials

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 642
Author(s):  
Mark Kyeredey Ansah ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Hongxing Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Optimal Configuration ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Sub Saharan

Reducing the lifecycle energy use of buildings with renewable energy applications has become critical given the urgent need to decarbonize the building sector. Multi-objective optimizations have been widely applied to reduce the operational energy use of buildings, but limited studies concern the embodied or whole lifecycle energy use. Consequently, there are issues such as sub-optimal design solutions and unclear correlation between embodied and operational energy in the current building energy assessment. To address these gaps, this study integrates a multi-objective optimization method with building energy simulation and lifecycle assessment (LCA) to explore the optimal configuration of different building envelopes from a lifecycle perspective. Major contributions of the study include the integrated optimization which reflects the dynamics of the whole lifecycle energy use. Insights from the study reveal the optimal configuration of PV and composite building façades for different regions in sub-Saharan Africa. The lifecycle energy use for the optimized building design resulted in 24.59, 33.33, and 36.93% energy savings in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, respectively. Additionally, PV power generation can efficiently cover over 90% of the total building energy demand. This study provides valuable insights for building designers in sub-Saharan Africa and similar areas that minimize lifecycle energy demand.

Green Retrofit Energy Efficiency Potential on Existing Building Envelope for Residential and Non-Residential Building

2021 ◽  
pp. 1227-1257
Author(s):  
Robert Staiger
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Primary Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Efficiency Potential

The chapter deals with the green energetic consideration of today's building envelopes for residential and non-residential buildings. It investigates the energetic effects the envelopes have on energy efficiency, energy consumption, material use, sustainable use of resources, lifetime considerations, economic and ecological impact. Today's it is estimated that approximately 30% of the annual primary energy demand for residential and non-residential buildings is needed. Energy resources for heat, electricity, air conditioning and cooling purposes, fossil fuels in form of gas and liquid are predominantly used.

Evaluating Life-Cycle Environmental Impact of Data Centers

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amip Shah ◽  
Cullen Bash ◽  
Ratnesh Sharma ◽  
Tom Christian ◽  
Brian J. Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Evaluation Metrics ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Operational Energy

Numerous evaluation metrics and standards are being proposed across industry and government to measure and monitor the energy efficiency of data centers. However, the energy use of data centers is just one aspect of the environmental impact. In this paper, we explore the overall environmental footprint of data centers beyond just energy efficiency. Building upon established procedures from the environmental sciences, we create an end-to-end life-cycle model of the environmental footprint of data centers across a diverse range of impacts. We test this model in the case study of a hypothetical 2.2-MW data center. Our analysis suggests the need for evaluation metrics that go beyond just operational energy use in order to achieve sustainable data centers.

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