Post-consumer waste recycling for high performance building envelopes in cold climates: Assessing energy and environmental impacts

Abstract

This paper examines selected post-consumer waste materials for use in the building envelope including end of life tires, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and paper/cardboard fibres. Three use types within the envelope are analysed according to uses in existing literature: thermal mass, insulation, and interior panelling. The materials are simulated in EnergyPlus, within a high performing residential base case located in Calgary, Alberta. The associated embodied energy and global warming potential of each material scenario are evaluated in OpenLCA.Most cases, excluding tire chip insulation, yield annual heating and cooling loads within a 10% margin of the base case, making them suitable for high performing buildings. Thermal mass components which prioritise reuse and undergo minimal processing such as whole earth-filled tires and whole PET bottles set in concrete blocks, are most effective at mitigating base case impacts. These cases result in a reduction of embodied energy and global warming potential by up to 70%, and lifetime energy by up to 40–50% when compared against an envelope using conventional construction materials.