The economic and environmental combination between building materials and fuel source to improve building energy performance

This study aims to investigate the economic and environmental combination between building materials and fuel source to improve building energy performance by considering the entransy loss. The annual entransy losses through the residential building walls were determined using the degree-day’s method. Life cycle cost and life cycle assessment were used for the determination of the optimum insulation thickness, entransy saving, environmental impacts and emissions rate of CO₂ and SO₂. Results Shows that optimum thicknesses vary between 0.04 and 0.08 m, entransy savings shift between 4 and 25 $/m², environmental impacts between4 and 65 mPts/m² and emissions of CO₂ and SO₂ between 1300 and 35,000 g/m², 5 and 60 g/m², respectively, depending on the wall, fuel and insulation combinations. Light weight concrete block (LWCB) building insulated with polyisocyanurate using natural gas was found to be the best combination.