Building a sustainable future: Exploring the nexus between climate awareness and thermal insulation choices in new home construction

Abstract

Climate change is considered a major threat to the environment and society as a whole. Reducing building energy consumption through the use of thermal insulation is one way of combating climate change. This study examines the impact of climate change awareness on the pre-construction decision of Lebanese homeowners to use thermal insulation in their new homes. A model building consisting of a typical 160 m2 single-family home was used and its thermal loads were calculated in two cases: insulated and uninsulated case, in three different locations in Lebanon: Beirut, Chtaura, and Bcharre-Arz. The thermal loads were calculated using two methods: the degree-days empirical method, and the Hourly Analysis Program software numerical method. The computations showed energy reduction ranging between 23% in the coastal region to 52% in high mountains when thermal insulation of thickness 5 cm was used. The investment payback period ranged from 4.3 years in the coastal region to 1.5 years in the high mountains. A survey addressed to 100 respondents was used to understand how Lebanese homeowners’ decision to use thermal insulation was affected by knowledge of the obtained results. The survey results showed that climate change awareness has a high impact on this decision; however, the cost seems to play an important role in the owners’ final decision on whether or not to use thermal insulation. Spreading awareness about climate change and the payback periods of building thermal insulation will increase its use since the number of respondents refusing to use thermal insulation drastically decreased after being informed about its payback period.