Life cycle and life cycle cost implications of integrated phase change materials in office buildings

Abstract

Summary The investigation of the use of phase change materials (PCM) in the building sector has become a significant issue and a field exhibiting significant potential in terms of research and development. The present study evaluates the integration of PCMs in office buildings on the basis of their economic and environmental performance by means of life cycle analysis (LCA) in conjunction with life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) respectively. This study is based on a previous building envelope multiobjective optimization study which considers cooling load requirements and thermal comfort conditions as optimization objectives. Specifically, this work moves 1 step further to evaluate the optimal results obtained from the above‐mentioned optimization study based on economic and environmental aspects. This paper attempts to evaluate and quantify the environmental and economic potential of PCM use in office buildings in a generic way. In detail, the present study starts by examining whether reducing the extent of the environmental impact achieved during the operational phase from energy savings offsets the respective increase arising from the PCM production. The LCA results reveal that the overall life cycle impact of the 2 office units examined is reduced, despite the respective impact of the construction stage increasing significantly, given the high proportion of impact accruing from the energy use stage in the overall impact. Finally, a life cycle cost evaluation assesses the viability of such applications, with the conclusion that the energy saving achieved during the use stage in both office units is insufficient to compensate for the LCC increase induced by the high cost of construction.

Improving the performance of air conditioning systems by using phase change materials: A review

“…Falco et al expanded their study in Falco et al by performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) on an air conditioning system that integrates a PCM unit. LCA is an objective process that aims to reduce the energy demand of a building while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact. Their findings indicate that the integration of the PCM storage unit significantly reduces the environmental effects of air conditioning systems, specifically their global warming potential (–17%), acidification potential (–15.5%), eutrophication potential (–18%), eco‐toxicity (–16%), risks to human health (–18%), and fossil depletion (–18%).…”

The Influence of NIR Pigments on Coil Coatings’ Thermal Behaviors

“…Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO 2 emissions in the EU [1]. The increasing population in cities and the consequent expansion of urban areas has led to a worsening in the so-called urban heat island effect (UHI effect) [2,3]. The term describes built-up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.…”

LCC Estimation Model: A Construction Material Perspective

“…This problem is complex, and it also involves the effect of energy prices (growing energy prices result in a more significant role played by operation energy costs in the early years of the lifespan) [10] and many other factors mentioned above. That is why many researchers apply various optimisation techniques, e.g., mixed integer linear programming [23], genetic algorithms [24], hybrid algorithms [25], and regression models [26,27]. Many researchers also apply LCC minimisation with regards to a specific natural hazard.…”