Research was conducted to indicate the impact of the increased flow of thermal insulation materials on the environment due to the implementation of the new regulations on energy efficiency of buildings. The regulations on energy efficiency of buildings in Serbia came into force on 30 September 2012 for all new buildings as well as for buildings in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. For that purpose, the carbon footprint was analyzed in three scenarios (BS, S1 and S2) for which the quantities of construction materials and processes were calculated. The life cycle analysis (LCA), which is the basis for analyzing the carbon life cycle (LCACO 2 ), was used in this study. Carbon Calculator was used for measuring carbon footprint, and URSA program to calculate the operational energy. This study was done in two phases. In Phase 1, the embodied carbon was measured to evaluate short-term effects of the implementation of the new regulations. Phase 2 included the first 10 years of building exploitation to evaluate the long-term effects of the new regulations. The analysis was done for the period of 10 years, further adjustments to the regulations regarding energy efficiency of the buildings in Serbia are expected in accordance with EU directives. The study shows that, in the short-run, Scenario BS has the lowest embodied carbon. In the long-run, after 3.66 years, Scenario S2 becomes a better option regarding the impact on the environment. The study reveals the necessity to include embodied carbon together with the whole life carbon to estimation the impact of a building on the environment. emission by 26.90% by 2020 was identified by Kim et al. [3]. The studies, often quoted as examples of the impact on the environment from the construction sector [4], show that the use of cement is responsible for 8.6% of CO 2 emission in the world [5]. Cement is widely used in civil engineering, both to produce concrete and as matrix for many other products which are used on global level. One of the basic concepts of the economics of natural resources and environment is sustainability and sustainable development [6], especially sustainability of transportation and logistics [7][8][9][10][11]. In relation to sustainability, EU commission [12] decided that it is necessary for the civil engineering sector to implement measures to reduce emissions and mitigate climate changes. The measures refer to the savings in using primary materials, using recycled materials, reducing waste quantity, returning materials into energy cycles, and reducing water and energy consumption. This also includes the studies on possible savings in energy consumption in buildings [13][14][15][16]. According to Vourdobas [17], energy consumption in buildings accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in EU.Recommendations about the ways to reduce energy consumption and implement the measures for energy efficiency of the buildings are given in the approved EU Directive (Directive2002/91/EC and Directive 2010/31/EU) [18,19]. Serbia's legislations are tryi...
In order to demonstrate the environmental impact of the increased flow of thermal insulation materials and facade joinery with improved thermal characteristics, the analysis of the carbon footprint for two scenarios for the needs of the research was done as a consequence of the new regulations on the energy efficiency of the facilities. For each of the analyzed scenarios, a project and an overview of works on the basis of which quantities of construction materials, activities and processes that participate in the construction of the analyzed scenarios were calculated (S1 and S2), were made. The reference object (S1) is designed without thermal insulation layers, the energy class „G“, and the scenario (S2) is designed in the energy class „C“, which according to the new regulations is a condition for the construction of new facilities. The study uses the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a methodology that is the basis for Carbon Lifecycle Analysis (LCACO2), or calculation of the carbon footprint of the facility. Construction carbon calculator, Environmental Protection Agency UK, is used to calculate the carbon footprint, and for the calculation of operational energy, the URSA Construction Physics 2 program. The study showed that the embodied carbon for the scenario (S1) is 138,40 tonnes CO2 e, with less impact on the environment. The higher values of the embodied carbon have a scenario (S2) of 148,20 tonnes CO2 e. The carbon imprint from the phase of construction, or less impact on the environment, has a scenario (S1). However, after ten years of using the facility, the scenario (S1) due to the larger carbon footprint from the operational phase becomes a scenario with a higher environmental impact, with a total carbon footprint of 186,16 tonnes CO2 e, and the scenario (S2) after ten years of use of the facility has a total carbon footprint of 163,86 tonnes CO2 e. The scenario (S1) and (S2) achieve the same values of the total carbon footprint after 3,05 years of use of the facility and (S2) has since then become a better choice from the aspect of the environment. The research has shown that the embodied carbon is neglected in the calculation of the environmental impact of the facility, as well as the average when the benefits can be expected from the application of measures for energy-efficient buildings. The research also points to the need for low-carbon thermal insulation materials to bridge the gap between the demand for the extinguishing of buildings on the one hand and the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.
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