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Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 21470

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alessio Boldrin

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Guest Editor

Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Building 115, Room 252, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: Recycling; Life-Cycle Assessment; Renewable Energy Technologies; Environmental Analysis; Bioenergy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction and housing industry is an energy intensive sector. While representing a significant share of the overall energy demand in society, it also offers significant opportunities for improvements in energy consumption. These include novel management concepts, materials, and technologies, which are constantly developed as a result of research and innovation initiatives. To conclude on whether these newly proposed options represent real opportunities for improved efficiency in the construction sector, detailed and holistic assessment of the energy performance of building, covering the whole life cycle of buildings, are required.

We kindly invite authors to submit contributions to this Special Issue of Energies on the topic of “Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings”, which can support future-decision making in the construction sector. These novel contributions will provide both an advanced understanding of how to evaluate the energy performance of buildings, as well as new data on innovative materials, concept and technologies.

Assoc. Prof. Alessio Boldrin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Building and housing
Energy efficiency
Life cycle assessment
Embodied energy
Decision-making

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply

by Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas, Ola Eriksson and Thomas Olofsson

Energies 2020, 13(1), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010080 - 23 Dec 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2381

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess how the use of fossil and nuclear power in different renovation scenarios affects the environmental impacts of a multi-family dwelling in Sweden, and how changes in the electricity production with different energy carriers affect the environmental impact. In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Union has set an agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency in buildings. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 80% of Europe’s population will be living in buildings that already exist. This means it is important for the European Union to renovate buildings to improve energy efficiency. In this study, eight renovation scenarios, using six different Northern European electricity mixes, were analyzed using the standard of the European Committee for Standardization for life cycle assessment of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and improvement of the building envelope. The results show that while in some electricity mixes a reduction in the global warming potential can be achieved, it can be at the expense of an increase in radioactive waste production, and, in mixes with a high share of fossil fuels, the global warming potential of the scenarios increases with time, compared with that of the original building. It also shows that in most electricity mixes, scenarios that reduce the active heat demand of the building end up in reducing both the global warming potential and radioactive waste, making them less sensitive to changes in the energy system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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27 pages, 4552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Systematic Simplified Simulation Methodology for Deep Energy Retrofitting Towards Nze Targets Using Life Cycle Energy Assessment

by José Sánchez Ramos, MCarmen Guerrero Delgado, Servando Álvarez Domínguez, José Luis Molina Félix, Francisco José Sánchez de la Flor and José Antonio Tenorio Ríos

Energies 2019, 12(16), 3038; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12163038 - 07 Aug 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2728

Abstract

The reduction of energy consumption in the residential sector presents substantial potential through the implementation of energy efficiency improvement measures. Current trends involve the use of simulation tools which obtain the buildings’ energy performance to support the development of possible solutions to help reduce energy consumption. However, simulation tools demand considerable amounts of data regarding the buildings’ geometry, construction, and frequency of use. Additionally, the measured values tend to be different from the estimated values obtained with the use of energy simulation programs, an issue known as the ‘performance gap’. The proposed methodology provides a solution for both of the aforementioned problems, since the amount of data needed is considerably reduced and the results are calibrated using measured values. This new approach allows to find an optimal retrofitting project by life cycle energy assessment, in terms of cost and energy savings, for individual buildings as well as several blocks of buildings. Furthermore, the potential for implementation of the methodology is proven by obtaining a comprehensive energy rehabilitation plan for a residential building. The developed methodology provides highly accurate estimates of energy savings, directly linked to the buildings’ real energy needs, reducing the difference between the consumption measured and the predictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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Graphical abstract

24 pages, 2933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Challenges in the Residential Sector: Life Cycle Assessment of Mexican Social Housing

by Diana Carolina Gámez-García, Héctor Saldaña-Márquez, José Manuel Gómez-Soberón, Susana Paola Arredondo-Rea, María Consolación Gómez-Soberón and Ramón Corral-Higuera

Energies 2019, 12(14), 2837; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12142837 - 23 Jul 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4279

Abstract

Social Housing (SH) in Mexico has a potentially important role in reducing both the emission of greenhouse gases and the use of non-renewable resources, two of the main challenges facing not only Mexico but the planet as a whole. This work assesses the environmental impact generated by the embodied stages of a typical SH throughout its life cycle (cradle to grave), by means of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Two types of envelope and interior walls and three types of windows are compared. It was found that SH emits 309 kg CO₂ eq/m² and consumes 3911 MJ eq/m² in the product stages (A1 to A3) and construction process (A4 to A5); the most important stages are those referring to the products, namely, A1 to A3, B4 (replacement) and B2 (maintenance). Additionally, benefits were found in the use of lightweight and thermal materials, such as concrete blocks lightened with pumice or windows made of PVC or wood. Although the use of LCA is incipient in the housing and construction sector in Mexico, this work shows how its application is not only feasible but recommended as it may become a basic tool in the search for sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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Graphical abstract

13 pages, 1761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combined Environmental and Economic Assessment of Energy Efficiency Measures in a Multi-Dwelling Building

by Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas, Ola Eriksson and Thomas Olofsson

Energies 2019, 12(13), 2484; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12132484 - 27 Jun 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2526

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess how different renovation scenarios affect the environmental and economic impacts of a multi-dwelling building in a Nordic climate, how these aspects are correlated and how different energy carriers affect different environmental impact categories. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union has set an agenda in order to reduce energy use in buildings. New buildings on the European market have a low replacement rate, which makes building renovation an important factor for achieving the European Union goals. In this study, eight renovation strategies were analyzed following the European Committee for Standardization standards for life cycle assessment and life cycle costs of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation and improved building envelopes. Results show that, depending on the energy carrier, reductions in global warming potential can be achieved at the expense of an increased nuclear waste disposal. It also shows that for the investigated renovation strategies in Sweden there is no correlation between the economic and the environmental performance of the building. Changing energy carriers in Sweden in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be a good alternative, but it makes the system more dependent on nuclear power. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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11 pages, 943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to Determine Carbon Payback: A Case Study of a Highly Energy-Efficient House in Rural Alaska

by Yasmeen Hossain and Tom Marsik

Energies 2019, 12(9), 1732; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12091732 - 08 May 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2996

Abstract

Buildings are responsible for a large portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. While energy efficiency features can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions during a building’s operational stage, extra materials and processes associated with these features typically involve higher greenhouse gas emissions during the construction phase. In order to study this relationship, a case study of a highly energy-efficient house in rural Alaska was performed. For the purposes of this case study, a theoretical counterpart home was designed that has the same interior space, but insulation values close to the code minimum requirements. Using computer simulations, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the case study home as well as its conventional counterpart. The extra greenhouse gas emissions associated with the construction of the case study home were compared to the annual savings in greenhouse gas emissions achieved thanks to the energy efficiency features, and carbon payback was calculated. The carbon payback was calculated to be just over three years, which is only a small fraction of the life of the building. The results of this study show that despite higher greenhouse gas emissions during the construction phase, highly energy-efficient homes can play an important role in addressing climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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15 pages, 2029 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Life Cycle Assessment of Building Renovation Measures–Trade-off between Building Materials and Energy

by Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas, Ola Eriksson and Thomas Olofsson

Energies 2019, 12(3), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12030344 - 23 Jan 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 6102

Abstract

The scope of this study is to assess how different energy efficient renovation strategies affect the environmental impacts of a multi-family house in a Nordic climate within district heating systems. The European Union has set ambitious targets to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. There is special attention on reducing the life cycle emissions in the buildings sector. However, the focus has often been on new buildings, although existing buildings represent great potential within the building stock in Europe. In this study, four different renovation scenarios were analyzed with the commercially available life cycle assessment software that follows the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standard. This study covers all life cycle steps from the cradle to the grave for a residential building in Borlänge, Sweden, where renewable energy dominates. The four scenarios included reduced indoor temperature, improved thermal properties of building material components and heat recovery for the ventilation system. One finding is that changing installations gives an environmental impact comparable to renovations that include both ventilation and building facilities. In addition, the life cycle steps that have the greatest environmental impact in all scenarios are the operational energy use and the building and installation processes. Renovation measures had a major impact on energy use due to the cold climate and low solar irradiation in the heating season. An interesting aspect, however, is that the building materials and the construction processes gave a significant amount of environmental impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Energy Assessment on Buildings)

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