Publicação
Life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas analysis of three building types in a residential area in Lisbon
| Resumo: | Residential buildings consume a large fraction of energy and thus represent a major opportunity for reducing energy requirements and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article presents a life-cycle energy and GHG analysis of three representative residential building types in a well-known area in Lisbon (Bairro de Alvalade). The life-cycle model focused on building construction, retrofit and use phases, applied an econometric model to estimate energy use in Portuguese households, and considered two functional units: per square meter per year and per person per year. Over the buildings’ 75-year lifespan, the use phase accounted for most (69–83%) of the primary energy requirements and GHG emissions. Larger buildings have lower life-cycle energy requirements and GHG emissions on a square meter basis. On a per person basis, however, this pattern is reversed and larger buildings are associated with higher energy requirements and GHG emissions. Due to the considerable variability and uncertainty associated with life-cycle analyses of buildings, the use of both occupancy- and area-based functional units is recommended. |
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| Autores principais: | Bastos, Joana |
| Outros Autores: | Batterman, Stuart A.; Freire, Fausto |
| Assunto: | Life-cycle assessment (LCA) Residential buildings Primary energy Greenhouse gas (GHG) |
| Ano: | 2014 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | Residential buildings consume a large fraction of energy and thus represent a major opportunity for reducing energy requirements and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article presents a life-cycle energy and GHG analysis of three representative residential building types in a well-known area in Lisbon (Bairro de Alvalade). The life-cycle model focused on building construction, retrofit and use phases, applied an econometric model to estimate energy use in Portuguese households, and considered two functional units: per square meter per year and per person per year. Over the buildings’ 75-year lifespan, the use phase accounted for most (69–83%) of the primary energy requirements and GHG emissions. Larger buildings have lower life-cycle energy requirements and GHG emissions on a square meter basis. On a per person basis, however, this pattern is reversed and larger buildings are associated with higher energy requirements and GHG emissions. Due to the considerable variability and uncertainty associated with life-cycle analyses of buildings, the use of both occupancy- and area-based functional units is recommended. |
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