APPROPRIATE BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Arch 4262

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CONTENT
 INTRODUCTION
 ENERGY CALCULATIONS
- EMBODIED ENERGY
- OPERATIONAL ENERGY
 MATERIAL SELECTION
 ENERGY COMPARISONS

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Introduction

• The building material industries are among the most energy-

intensive industries.

• Optimization use of energy in the production process reduce

the overall cost of building construction and the polluting
impact on the environment.

• According to Van Wyk, construction activities consume 50% of

all resources globally, 70% of all global timber products and
40% of energy.

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Con.
• Building materials accounts for nearly 60 to 65% of the cost
of house construction.

• Another important but often neglected component in

energy consumption in the building-materials sector is in
relation to transportation or distribution of the finished
product for construction.

• There are some developing countries where the cost of

transporting building materials outweighs the actual cost of
production.

• In Botswana and Sudan, after 150 Km, the cost of

transporting cement is higher than the manufacturing cost.

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Con.
• The approach would be:-
- To increase the use of low energy-content materials
- Apply energy-efficient &
- low-polluting technologies in the industry.

• Cost-effective construction technologies - can bring down the

embodied energy level

• The cost-effective construction technologies would emerge as

the most acceptable case of sustainable technologies in terms
of cost and environment.

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Energy consumption
• Modern buildings consume energy in a number of ways.
• Energy consumption in buildings occurs in five phases:-

1. The first phase:- manufacturing of building materials and

components.

2. The second phase:- energy used to transport materials from

production plants to the building site. (Grey energy)

3. The third phase:- energy used in the actual construction of the

building. (induced energy)

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Energy consumption
4. The fourth phase:- energy consumed at the operational phase /
which corresponds to the running of the building.

5. The last phase:- energy consumed in the demolition process of

buildings as well as in the recycling of their parts.

Cost-effective and alternative construction technologies,

• reduction of quantity of building materials through improved
and innovative techniques. (Ribbed Slab)
• use of alternative low-energy consuming materials
Can play a great role in reduction of CO2 emission - protection of
the environment.

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Con.
• Production of ordinary and readily available construction
materials requires huge amounts of energy through burning of
coal and oil; which in turn emit a large volume of CO2.
• problem of global warming

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• Concrete is the second most consumed substance on Earth after
water.
• On average, each year, three tons of concrete are consumed by
each person on the planet.

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• Reducing the use of concrete is a critical issue.
• It is possible to reduce carbon foot print by using a cement
appropriate for the work.
• A high-lime cement can be used for mortar and plaster work.
• It is less refined and uses less energy.

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Energy calculation

• Life cycle analysis- is a method of determining the real cost (or in

this case, energy used) over the lifetime of a product, from cradle
to grave.

• The total life cycle energy consumption of building is made up of

two components:-
Embodied Energy
Operational Energy

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OPERATIONAL ENERGY

• The energy requirement of the building during its life from

commissioning to demolition (not including maintenance or
renovations).
• The energy used to heat and cool the premises, run appliances,
heat water and light rooms.

Energy consumption at operational phase:

• Demands for heating,
• Cooling,
• Ventilation & lighting cause severe depletion of invaluable
environmental resources.

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• Incorporating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and
sustainable green design features into building technology has
become a top priority in recent years.

1. Incorporate solar passive techniques in a building design

to minimize load on conventional systems;
e.g. Solar radiation, wet surfaces, vegetation, internal gains

2. Design energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems;

energy efficient equipment and operation strategies.

3. Use renewable energy systems (solar photovoltaic systems/

solar water heating systems)

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 4. Use low energy materials and methods of construction and
reduce transportation Energy.

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Energy calculation

Embodied Energy :- the energy requirement to construct and

maintain the premises.
Breakdown of embodied energy calculations

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Energy calculation

There are two forms of embodied energy in buildings:

▪ Initial embodied energy:- represents the energy consumed in
the acquisition of raw materials, their processing,
manufacturing, transportation to site, and construction

▪ Recurring embodied energy:- represents the energy

consumed to maintain, repair, restore, refurbish or replace
materials, components or systems during the life of the
building.

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 • The process of calculating embodied energy is complex and involves
numerous sources of data.
• Embodied energy is a reasonable indicator of the overall
environmental impact of building materials, assemblies or systems
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Con.

• The building envelope, structure and services contribute

fairly equally and account for about ¾ of total initial
embodied energy.

• The finishes, which represent only 13% of the embodied

energy initially, typically account for the highest increase in
recurring embodied energy.

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Material selection

The aim when selecting materials should be to use:

▪ materials from renewable or replaceable sources
▪ recycled materials
▪ materials that are in plentiful supply.

• Life cycle assessment considerations include:

▪ Extraction and manufacture / energy & impact
▪ Material sourcing
▪ construction/installation
▪ performance & Structural capability
▪ waste disposal/recycling/reuse

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Material selection
Impact of extraction: The environmental impact of extraction
such as large-scale mining, on scarce, non renewable resources
is obvious, but even the extraction of renewable resources will
have some impact on the environment. The effects of
extraction may be:
▪ air pollution
▪ water pollution
▪ chemical emission
▪ release of CO2
▪ damage to ecosystems
▪ water use
▪ visual pollution
▪ noise

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Material selection

Availability:
Cost: initial cost and Life cycle costs include maintenance,
replacement, demolition and disposal.
Health and safety during construction/installation/ life of the
building:
Ease of construction/installation:
Adaptability:
Maintenance:
Moisture resistance:
Material deterioration/decay:
Thermal performance:
Sound insulation:
Fire performance:
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