Emre Yöntem: Meeting energy efficiency targets
A new modelling platform can create scenarios designed to show the environmental impact of retrofitted buildings. It also helps calculate the expected reductions in energy consumption and the related costs of refurbishing. This is possible thanks to a web platform called Epesus, developed by the Turkish environmental engineering consultancy Ekodenge, based in Ankara. The consultancy is also one of the partners in the European project R2Cities. Emre Yöntem, project manager with expertise in energy modelling and data management at Ekodenge, explains how the return on investments can be achieved through energy savings, on the long run. What innovation brings your team in the construction industry? Under this project, our team is working on its capabilities to study the district areas and has embedded the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis methods. LCA comprises all the life cycle phases of a product, from the acquisition of the raw materials to the waste phase. It assesses its environmental impact. In a similar way, the LCC analyses the cost of a product. We do these calculations with specific software tools. LCA is compulsory under recent international green building certification systems. To be more specific, the green certification system uses a database of construction materials and their environmental scores provided by Life Cycle Assessment. Only the use of those materials is allowed, in order for such a certificate to be issued. Future sustainable cities and buildings definitely need to focus on LCA scores. The Epesus platform we developed makes it possible, to compile the life cycle inventories in retrofitted buildings. Specifically, we can thus analyse the cost of the materials used in the retrofitting works. And it also helps make hourly simulations of the energy demand of the refurbished building. By making possible to analyse different kinds of retrofitting approaches at the preliminary stages of the project, they help the project owner to select the scenario that fits his needs and budget. It is in fact the approach of the urban methodology concept, which is implemented in smart, green cities. What is the potential benefit of an LCA before starting a retrofitting work? It is possible to show that the complete cost of the refurbishing work could be lower than for other constructions, if specific materials are used. It is like evaluating the cost of leasing an expensive car. The purchasing price can be high, but this car provides better returns over time than a cheaper one because of its longer and more efficient life cycle. At city level, an LCA can show that a building can have less carbon emissions and healthier indoor air quality, despite a high construction cost at the beginning of its life cycle. So, the tools helps the decision makers to quantify these benefits within the first 60 years of the life of the building, including its possible demolishing and waste treatment phases. Read more at: http://r2cities.eu/News_And_Events/News/Emre-Yontem-Meeting-Energy-Efficiency-Targets.kl(opens in new window) Article by Sorina Buzatu
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