Energy and Economic Impact on the Application of Low-Cost Lightweight Materials in Economic Housing Located in Dry Climates

Ana Cecilia Borbon-Almada, Norma Alejandra Rodriguez-Muñoz and Mario Najera-Trejo
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Ana Cecilia Borbon-Almada: Departamento de Ingenieria Civil y Minas, Universidad de Sonora, Blvd. Luis Encinas y Rosales, Centro, Hermosillo 83000, Mexico
Norma Alejandra Rodriguez-Muñoz: Catedras CONACYT, Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados, Calle CIMAV 110, Ejido Arroyo Seco, Durango 34147, Mexico
Mario Najera-Trejo: Departamento de Ingenieria Sustentable, Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados, Calle CIMAV 110, Ejido Arroyo Seco, Durango 34147, Mexico

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: The building sector is considered a key area for sustainable development, due to the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the numerous economic activities that this sector involves. A low-cost lightweight cementitious composite consisting in perlite mortar was fabricated and evaluated. The thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the proposed composite were tested in the laboratory. The lightweight composite was integrated into a prototypical house and its thermal performance was tested for two different arid climates during a typical meteorological year. A techno-economic analysis of this integration was carried out, which showed the lightweight system integration could reduce the energy demand up to 10.3% due to the decreased use of heating and cooling systems. The CO 2 emissions associated with electricity and gas use on cooling and heating systems could be reduced up to 10.9%.

Keywords: lightweight composites; perlite; material properties; arid climates; dynamic simulation; housing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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