Embodied Energy Coefficient Quantification and Implementation for an Energy-Conservative House in Thailand

Journal article


Authors/Editors


Strategic Research Themes


Publication Details

Author listNattaya Sangngamratsakul, Kuskana Kubaha and Siriluk Chiarakorn

PublisherMDPI

Publication year2024

JournalSustainability (2071-1050)

Volume number16

Issue number10

Start page4045

ISSN2071-1050

eISSN2071-1050

URLhttps://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/10/4045

LanguagesEnglish-United States (EN-US)


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Abstract

The increasing rate of population growth and urban expansion has led to a higher demand for fossil fuels, which, in turn, directly generate greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. These emissions contribute to environmental problems such as global warming and climate change. This study aims to present the total life-cycle energy analysis (LCEA) of a single-family detached house designed with an energy conservation approach. Using a cradle-to-grave scope, this study quantifies the embodied energy in six stages of the building’s life cycle, i.e., initial, transportation, construction, operational, recurrent, and demolition. An input–output (IO)-based method was employed to construct a Thailand-specific embodied energy coefficient for 36 key building materials. This coefficient was then used to quantify both the initial embodied energy and the recurrent embodied energy in this study. The case-study house was broken down into 13 building materials. Concrete was the most consumed material, followed by fiber–cement, steel, and timber, in that order. However, the results of the embodied energy distribution for these materials revealed that fiber–cement ranked first, accounting for 29%. Steel was next, at 21%, followed by concrete at 18%, and, finally, aluminum at 12%. The case-study house had an initial embodied energy of 7.99 GJ/m² and a total life-cycle energy consumption of 0.66 GJ/m²/year. This study provides valuable information on LCEA for residential buildings, fostering public understanding of energy conservation in the Thai context. Furthermore, this study’s results can be applied to establish energy conservation guidelines for residential buildings. These guidelines can help reduce energy resource depletion, carbon emissions, and environmental problems, ultimately contributing to Thailand’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.


Keywords

Carbon Neutralitycradle to graveembodied energylife cycle energy analysis


Last updated on 2024-17-05 at 00:00