The cost of sustainability in the construction sector – the case of family houses in Belgium

Joran Douhard and Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potter ()

No 2023-068, Working Papers TIMES² from ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles

Abstract: What is the return to investment in sustainable materials for houses? This research question is addressed through Life Cycle Assessments and Life Cycle Cost analyses of two reference houses and their “sustainable” alternatives in Belgium. The most striking results are that (1) the operational stage accounts for about 65% of the total impact of a house; (2) a 1 € investment in sustainable materials induces a drop of 1 to 1.3 KgCO2eq; (3) this impact fluctuates across elements, with higher returns for widows (-3 to -6 KgCO2eq) and for external walls (-6 KgCO2eq) and the lowest for ground floor (-0.3 KgCO2eq).

Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Life Cycle Cost (LCC); single family house; sustainability; carbon footprint (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38 p.
Date: 2023-12
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