Is there an optimal insulation thickness? An LCA-based study on the environmental performance of insulation materials and natural gas consumption

Author(s): A. Meyer and D. Majcen
Paper category: symposium
Book title: International Symposium on Life Cycle Assessment and Construction – Civil engineering and buildings
Editor(s): A. Ventura and C. de la Roche
Print ISBN: 978-2-35158-127-8
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-128-5
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Pages: 188 – 196
Total Pages: 9
Language: English

Abstract: In this study, a comparison based on LCA of the environmental performance of several scenarios with a different insulation performance of the building envelope, taking into account the insulation materials and the natural gas consumption for heating. The calculations are performed for an average multi-family dwelling in the Netherlands. Insulation materials in windows, doors, roof and basement floor were taken into account. Several scenarios with different R-values of the building envelope were considered. When the R-value of the building envelope of the apartment building is increased, the impact scores of natural gas consumption decreases, but the impact scores for the insulation materials increases. When these two parts are combined, the total impact scores decrease until the R-value reaches about 4-7. Then a further increase of the R-value of the building envelope leads to an increase of the impact scores of several impact categories such as eutrophication, human toxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity, while the impact scores for the other impact categories does not decrease significantly.

Keywords: renovation, passive house, insulation, natural gas heating, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Online publication: 2012
Publication Type: full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00