Comparison of life cycle cost and embodied energy for buildings with alternative walling materials

Abstract

Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is a process for determining the overall economic cost of an asset by examining original costs and discounted future expenditures, such as maintenance, repair, and renewal costs. The analysis of the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of a project in the early stage of design helps in the decision-making process because this provides options for refinement and improvement to reduce the overall project cost. This study focuses on the Life Cycle cost analysis of Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) panelled and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) block walling construction methods with conventional clay brick walling. The GFRG panel as a roofing component is also compared with traditional RCC roofing. Along with LCC, the embodied energy of materials adopted for the construction in each case has been compared.The initial, operational, and maintenance costs data are collected from various literature, data book, and industry. The Net Present Value (NPV) concept is used to analyse the cost-efficiency of alternatives using Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). Buildings with GFRG and AAC consume less operational energy when compared to conventional construction with clay brick walling and RCC roofing systems. The comparative study indicates that constructions with GFRG panels and AAC blocks have lesser LCC and are economical. Also, for a structure with the same floor area, the embodied energy of materials for a building with GFRG panelled wall and roof is less compared to constructions with AAC block and brick.