Abstract
Research was conducted to indicate the impact of the increased flow of thermal insulation materials on the environment due to the implementation of the new regulations on energy efficiency of buildings. The regulations on energy efficiency of buildings in Serbia came into force on 30 September 2012 for all new buildings as well as for buildings in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. For that purpose, the carbon footprint was analyzed in three scenarios (BS, S1 and S2) for which the quantities of construction materials and processes were calculated. The life cycle analysis (LCA), which is the basis for analyzing the carbon life cycle (LCACO2), was used in this study. Carbon Calculator was used for measuring carbon footprint, and URSA program to calculate the operational energy. This study was done in two phases. In Phase 1, the embodied carbon was measured to evaluate short-term effects of the implementation of the new regulations. Phase 2 included the first 10 years of building exploitation to evaluate the long-term effects of the new regulations. The analysis was done for the period of 10 years, further adjustments to the regulations regarding energy efficiency of the buildings in Serbia are expected in accordance with EU directives. The study shows that, in the short-run, Scenario BS has the lowest embodied carbon. In the long-run, after 3.66 years, Scenario S2 becomes a better option regarding the impact on the environment. The study reveals the necessity to include embodied carbon together with the whole life carbon to estimation the impact of a building on the environment.
Highlights
Concern for the uncontrolled exploitation of all-natural resources together with degradation of the environment has culminated in recent decades towards increased care for the state of the environment
To get the results of the carbon footprint of the construction CO2e, the operational phase is not included in the calculation as it is outside the system boundaries in Phase 1
The total carbon footprint within the boundaries of Phase A1–B2 in Scenario BS is 186.16 tons CO2e, which is the highest value among all three analyzed scenarios
Summary
Concern for the uncontrolled exploitation of all-natural resources together with degradation of the environment has culminated in recent decades towards increased care for the state of the environment. The civil engineering sector is recognized as an industry which greatly contributes to waste generation through the consumption of resources, primary materials, energy and water [1]. It is estimated that the construction sector on the global level uses 40% of energy and natural resources and produces around 33% of global emissions of CO2 [2]. The measures refer to the savings in using primary materials, using recycled materials, reducing waste quantity, returning materials into energy cycles, and reducing water and energy consumption. This includes the studies on possible savings in energy consumption in buildings [13,14,15,16]. According to Vourdobas [17], energy consumption in buildings accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in EU
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