IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v264y2020ics0306261920302579.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Life-cycle approach to the estimation of energy efficiency measures in the buildings sector

Author

Listed:
  • Abd Alla, Sara
  • Bianco, Vincenzo
  • Tagliafico, Luca A.
  • Scarpa, Federico

Abstract

The implementation of energy efficiency measures is an effective way to gain energy savings in the Italian residential sector. This paper assesses the embodied energy impact related to the envelope insulation and evaluates the energy and carbon payback of the efficiency measures. The proposed method consists of (1) an estimation of the baseline operational energy consumption, (2) simulations of realistic retrofit solutions and, (3) the assessment of the ‘retrofitting’ embodied energy and the energy and carbon payback time calculation. The payback is based on the comparison between the saved operational energy and the embodied energy of the materials selected for insulation. Ten Italian cities are analysed, and the results show a deep dependence on the climate zone. In Northern Italian cities, envelope insulation gains relevance as the energy and carbon payback periods are shorter, about 3 years against the 84 years for the Southern city of Palermo. The optimal thickness is estimated for the city of Milan considering the building’s typology, the insulation materials, and the energy payback. This study shows how the total energy savings can be used as a criterion to obtain design indications.

Suggested Citation

  • Abd Alla, Sara & Bianco, Vincenzo & Tagliafico, Luca A. & Scarpa, Federico, 2020. "Life-cycle approach to the estimation of energy efficiency measures in the buildings sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:264:y:2020:i:c:s0306261920302579
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114745
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261920302579
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114745?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephan, André & Stephan, Laurent, 2016. "Life cycle energy and cost analysis of embodied, operational and user-transport energy reduction measures for residential buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 445-464.
    2. Chau, C.K. & Xu, J.M. & Leung, T.M. & Ng, W.Y., 2017. "Evaluation of the impacts of end-of-life management strategies for deconstruction of a high-rise concrete framed office building," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1595-1603.
    3. Cao, Zhi & Liu, Gang & Duan, Huabo & Xi, Fengming & Liu, Guiwen & Yang, Wei, 2019. "Unravelling the mystery of Chinese building lifetime: A calibration and verification based on dynamic material flow analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 442-452.
    4. Stephan, André & Crawford, Robert H. & de Myttenaere, Kristel, 2013. "A comprehensive assessment of the life cycle energy demand of passive houses," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 23-34.
    5. Guo, Shan & Zheng, Shupeng & Hu, Yunhao & Hong, Jingke & Wu, Xiaofang & Tang, Miaohan, 2019. "Embodied energy use in the global construction industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    6. Gao, Cuixia & Su, Bin & Sun, Mei & Zhang, Xiaoling & Zhang, Zhonghua, 2018. "Interprovincial transfer of embodied primary energy in China: A complex network approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 792-807.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chul-Yong Lee & Jaekyun Ahn, 2020. "Stochastic Modeling of the Levelized Cost of Electricity for Solar PV," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Hossein Moayedi & Bao Le Van, 2022. "Feasibility of Harris Hawks Optimization in Combination with Fuzzy Inference System Predicting Heating Load Energy Inside Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Francesco Smiroldo & Isabella Paviani & Ivan Giongo & Stefano Zanon & Rossano Albatici & Maurizio Piazza, 2021. "An Integrated Approach to Improve Seismic and Energetic Behaviour of RC Framed Buildings Using Timber Panels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-27, October.
    4. Wang, Xipan & Song, Junnian & Duan, Haiyan & Wang, Xian'en, 2021. "Coupling between energy efficiency and industrial structure: An urban agglomeration case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    5. Zhang, Qi & Gu, Baihe & Zhang, Haiying & Ji, Qiang, 2023. "Emission reduction mode of China's provincial transportation sector: Based on “Energy+” carbon efficiency evaluation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    6. De Rosa, Mattia & Bianco, Vincenzo, 2023. "Optimal insulation layer for heated water pipes under technical, economic and carbon emission constraints," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    7. Elaouzy, Y. & El Fadar, A., 2022. "Energy, economic and environmental benefits of integrating passive design strategies into buildings: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    8. Chen, Yixing & Deng, Zhang & Hong, Tianzhen, 2020. "Automatic and rapid calibration of urban building energy models by learning from energy performance database," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    9. Duan, Haiyan & Chen, Siyan & Song, Junnian, 2022. "Characterizing regional building energy consumption under joint climatic and socioeconomic impacts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Clyde Zhengdao & Lai, Xulu & Xiao, Bing & Tam, Vivian W.Y. & Guo, Shan & Zhao, Yiyu, 2020. "A holistic review on life cycle energy of buildings: An analysis from 2009 to 2019," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    2. Kong, Minjin & Ji, Changyoon & Hong, Taehoon & Kang, Hyuna, 2022. "Impact of the use of recycled materials on the energy conservation and energy transition of buildings using life cycle assessment: A case study in South Korea," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Dixit, Manish K., 2017. "Life cycle embodied energy analysis of residential buildings: A review of literature to investigate embodied energy parameters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 390-413.
    4. Stephan, André & Stephan, Laurent, 2020. "Achieving net zero life cycle primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions apartment buildings in a Mediterranean climate," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    5. Atmaca, Adem & Atmaca, Nihat, 2016. "Comparative life cycle energy and cost analysis of post-disaster temporary housings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 429-443.
    6. Echarri-Iribarren, Victor & Echarri-Iribarren, Fernando & Rizo-Maestre, Carlos, 2019. "Ceramic panels versus aluminium in buildings: Energy consumption and environmental impact assessment with a new methodology," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 959-974.
    7. Jinghui Liu & Tingting Geng & Xingwei Wang & Guojin Qin, 2020. "Determinants of Oil Footprints Embodied in Sino-US Trade: A Perspective from the Globalizing World," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-26, July.
    8. Kong, Minjin & Hong, Taehoon & Ji, Changyoon & Kang, Hyuna & Lee, Minhyun, 2020. "Development of building driven-energy payback time for energy transition of building with renewable energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    9. Copiello, Sergio & Gabrielli, Laura & Bonifaci, Pietro, 2017. "Evaluation of energy retrofit in buildings under conditions of uncertainty: The prominence of the discount rate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 104-117.
    10. Venkatraj, V. & Dixit, M.K., 2021. "Life cycle embodied energy analysis of higher education buildings: A comparison between different LCI methodologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    11. Dixit, Manish K., 2017. "Embodied energy analysis of building materials: An improved IO-based hybrid method using sectoral disaggregation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 46-58.
    12. André Stephan & Robert H. Crawford & Victor Bunster & Georgia Warren‐Myers & Sareh Moosavi, 2022. "Towards a multiscale framework for modeling and improving the life cycle environmental performance of built stocks," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1195-1217, August.
    13. Stephan, André & Crawford, Robert H., 2016. "The relationship between house size and life cycle energy demand: Implications for energy efficiency regulations for buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P1), pages 1158-1171.
    14. Zhu, Bangzhu & Su, Bin & Li, Yingzhu & Ng, Tsan Sheng, 2020. "Embodied energy and intensity in China’s (normal and processing) exports and their driving forces, 2005-2015," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Yang, Honghua & Ma, Linwei & Li, Zheng, 2023. "Tracing China's steel use from steel flows in the production system to steel footprints in the consumption system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    16. Colclough, Shane & McGrath, Teresa, 2015. "Net energy analysis of a solar combi system with Seasonal Thermal Energy Store," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 611-616.
    17. Sierra-Pérez, Jorge & Rodríguez-Soria, Beatriz & Boschmonart-Rives, Jesús & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2018. "Integrated life cycle assessment and thermodynamic simulation of a public building’s envelope renovation: Conventional vs. Passivhaus proposal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1510-1521.
    18. Chen, Liming & Zhao, Yuanyuan & Xie, Rui & Su, Bin & Liu, Yue & Renfei, Xv, 2023. "Embodied energy intensity of global high energy consumption industries: A case study of the construction industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    19. Tang, Miaohan & Hong, Jingke & Liu, Guiwen & Shen, Geoffrey Qiping, 2019. "Exploring energy flows embodied in China's economy from the regional and sectoral perspectives via combination of multi-regional input–output analysis and a complex network approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 1191-1201.
    20. Jinghan Chen & Wen Zhou & Hongtao Yang, 2019. "Is Embodied Energy a Better Starting Point for Solving Energy Security Issues?—Based on an Overview of Embodied Energy-Related Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-22, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:264:y:2020:i:c:s0306261920302579. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.