Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Energy Efficiency of a Solar Thermal Installation in a Family House

Jaroslav Košičan, Miguel Ángel Pardo Picazo, Silvia Vilčeková and Danica Košičanová
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Jaroslav Košičan: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia
Miguel Ángel Pardo Picazo: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alicante, Spain Carretera de san Vicent del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Silvia Vilčeková: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia
Danica Košičanová: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: Designing solar strategies is a powerful step forward to set up an adequate residential house in terms of energy. Many types of research have simulated the energy needs for residential buildings. Designing an improper installation can contribute to a growth in the overall energy expenditure in ensuring thermal comfort. The use of solar thermal processes in Slovakia is on a rise as compared to recent years. This study models twelve solar water heating systems created on the roof of the household. Solar energy techniques are carried out to comply with the demands of heating and domestic hot water. The analysis deals with the most efficient alternative for the arranged solar systems of the building. Considering these installations and the corresponding overall prices of machinery, the best workable alternative is selected. The potential energy performance of auxiliary heating and the energy output of the solar thermal installation are examined. The required amounts of the different energy contributions are modelled and simulated in specific software for a family house in Kosice, Slovakia. We determine the limits of the design for an apartment and analyse which procedure is used to provide the typical average water expenditure and heating need, covering a multi-criteria analysis considering costs, energy, and life cycle analysis of every installation. This approach can support professionals to decide the best scheme considering these criteria, and this method can be satisfactorily applied. In these conditions, converting a conventional gas boiler into a solar thermal system involves monthly economic savings of around EUR 140–250, with payback periods of 2.5–7 years. The energy requirements are fully covered by the solar thermal schemes and the life cycle assessment resulted in reasonable impacts on the environment.

Keywords: solar thermal; domestic hot water; T*SOL; life cycle assessment; OneClickLCA; multi-criteria analysis; flat-plate collector; Slovakia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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