A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of different insulation materials for buildings in the continental Mediterranean climate

Llantoy, Noelia; Chàfer, Marta; Cabeza, Luisa F.

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110323

Cited by 89 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Commonly, the major focus of using an LCA methodology is on reducing the environmental impact of specific products under consideration for more sustainable solutions through decision-making processes [23]. A full LCA requires significant effort and expertise, although an LCA should at least be performed through four main steps interrelated among them, according to UNE-EN ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044 standards [24,25], as is show in Figure 3.…”

Section: Lca Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of an Innovative Compact Hybrid Electrical-Thermal Storage System for Residential Buildings in Mediterranean Climate

et al. 2021

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The buildings sector is one of the least sustainable activities in the world, accounting for around 40% of the total global energy demand. With the aim to reduce the environmental impact of this sector, the use of renewable energy sources coupled with energy storage systems in buildings has been investigated in recent years. Innovative solutions for cooling, heating, and domestic hot water in buildings can contribute to the buildings’ decarbonization by achieving a reduction of building electrical consumption needed to keep comfortable conditions. However, the environmental impact of a new system is not only related to its electrical consumption from the grid, but also to the environmental load produced in the manufacturing and disposal stages of system components. This study investigates the environmental impact of an innovative system proposed for residential buildings in Mediterranean climate through a life cycle assessment. The results show that, due to the complexity of the system, the manufacturing and disposal stages have a high environmental impact, which is not compensated by the reduction of the impact during the operational stage. A parametric study was also performed to investigate the effect of the design of the storage system on the overall system impact.

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Section: Lca Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of an Innovative Compact Hybrid Electrical-Thermal Storage System for Residential Buildings in Mediterranean Climate

et al. 2021

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“…Studies based on other cities in severe cold regions can be conducted to further enhance these models. In addition to the impact of the urban environment, as mentioned above, the design and construction of the building itself also have a crucial impact on building energy consumption [ 73 , 74 ]. In this study, we controlled the variable of building envelope by some conditions in the selection of sample buildings; however, due to the large number of buildings, it was still difficult to ensure that the construction of individual buildings, such as the air tightness of buildings and the quality of the insulation installations, is exactly the same.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Urban Morphology and Climate on Heating Energy Consumption of Buildings in Severe Cold Regions

Song

Han³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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This study aims to acquire a better understanding of the quantitative relationship between environmental impact factors and heating energy consumption of buildings in severe cold regions. We analyze the effects of five urban morphological parameters (building density, aspect ratio, building height, floor area ratio, and shape factor) and three climatic parameters (temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) on the heating energy use intensity (EUI) of commercial and residential buildings in a severe cold region. We develop regression models using empirical data to quantitatively evaluate the impact of each parameter. A stepwise approach is used to ensure that all the independent variables are significant and to eliminate the effects of multicollinearity. Finally, a spatial cluster analysis is performed to identify the distribution characteristics of heating EUI. The results indicate that the building height, shape factor, temperature, and wind speed have a significant impact on heating EUI, and their effects vary with the type of building. The cluster analysis indicated that the areas in the north, east, and along the river exhibited high heating EUI. The findings obtained herein can be used to evaluate building energy efficiency for urban planners and heating companies and departments based on the surrounding environmental conditions.

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“…Concerning different types of buildings, other authors used a LCA to study the environmental impact of different types of insulation materials. For instance, Llantoy et al [39] investigated three different types of insulation material (polyurethane, extruded polystyrene, and mineral wool) to assess the environmental impact and the reduction in energy demand for heating in the Mediterranean climate. According to their studies, the mineral wool has the lowest environmental impact (with an environmental payback period of seven years), providing the same thermal performance.…”

Section: State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Sustainability for the Building Envelope of Low-Carbon Schools

2021

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To achieve a carbon-free economy by 2050, the construction of low-carbon schools in Italy must select the proper structural and technological solutions for the building envelope while ensuring a low economic cost. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare several technological solutions for the building envelope and the related structural solutions in terms of thermo-dynamic properties, energy performance, environmental sustainability parameters, and economic evaluations, to obtain one or more alternatives. After a general study, the binomial load-bearing structure–external wall was investigated given its strong influence on both the environment and the total cost. The solutions were used in a new typological model for the kindergarten. All the solutions are comparable from an energy and environmental point of view, obtaining a primary energy demand of <25 kWh/(m2year) and an environmental impact of <20 kWh/(m2year). However, considering the economic factor and analyzing the binomial load-bearing structure–external wall, the advisable solutions are those that use wooden structures with insulation layer in wood fiber as they have a significantly lower environmental impact, along with the same good energy performance and have an acceptable cost compared to other analyzed solutions.

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A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of different insulation materials for buildings in the continental Mediterranean climate

Cited by 89 publications

References 52 publications

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of an Innovative Compact Hybrid Electrical-Thermal Storage System for Residential Buildings in Mediterranean Climate

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of an Innovative Compact Hybrid Electrical-Thermal Storage System for Residential Buildings in Mediterranean Climate

Impact of Urban Morphology and Climate on Heating Energy Consumption of Buildings in Severe Cold Regions

Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Sustainability for the Building Envelope of Low-Carbon Schools

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