Effect of Embodied Energy on Cost-Effectiveness of a Prefabricated Modular Solution on Renovation Scenarios in Social Housing in Porto, Portugal

Manuela Almeida, Ricardo Barbosa and Raphaele Malheiro
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Manuela Almeida: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Ricardo Barbosa: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Raphaele Malheiro: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: A large-scale energy renovation intervention in existing buildings has been consistently presented as the most significant opportunity to contribute to achieving the European targets for 2030 and 2050. One of the key points for such achievement is the cost-effectiveness of the interventions proposed, which is also closely related to decent housing affordability. Prefabricated modular solutions have been pointed out as a pathway, but there are knowledge gaps regarding both its cost-effectiveness and its environmental performance. Considering a social housing multi-family building in Porto, Portugal, as a case study, this research employs energy simulations, a cost-optimal methodology and a life cycle analysis approach to assess the influence of considering embodied energy and emissions in cost-effectiveness calculations. In general terms, the hierarchical relation between calculated renovation scenarios remain identical, as well as the choice of the cost-optimal combination, which can reduce primary energy needs by 226 kWh/(y.m 2 ). However, embodied carbon emissions and embodied energy of the materials used in the calculations, which are indicative of the sustainability of such interventions, increase the energy and carbon emissions associated to each renovation package by an average of 43 kWh/(y.m 2 ) and 9.3 kgCO 2eq /(y.m 2 ), respectively.

Keywords: modular; prefabricated; renovation panel; energy renovation; cost-effectiveness; embodied energy; social housing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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