Title: Exergy analysis combined with LCA for building envelope energy efficiency retrofit

Authors: Yan Zhou, Guangcai Gong

Addresses: College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China; Faculty of Architectural, Civil Engineering and Environment, NingBo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, China. ' College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China

Abstract: This article presents a kind of exergy analysis combined with LCA to evaluate the building envelope energy efficiency retrofit. A typical case in Ningbo city of China is analysed. The results show that it takes 15 years for the cumulative saved energy consumption in the use stage to equal the embodied energy of the newly added insulation materials in the product stage. Yet, it is impossible that the embodied exergy equals the cumulative saved exergy consumption in the building lifespan after retrofit. So the energy and exergy efficiency of the retrofit measures with LCA should be accounted as a whole.

Keywords: exergy analysis; LCA; existing buildings; energy efficiency retrofit; life cycle assessment; China; energy consumption; energy saving; insulation materials; retrofitting.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2011.041028

International Journal of Exergy, 2011 Vol.8 No.4, pp.379 - 391

Received: 07 May 2010
Accepted: 29 Sep 2010
Published online: 28 Jun 2011 *

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