A Proposed Methodology of Life Cycle Assessment for Hot Water Building Systems

Population growth and technological development in recent decades have made human activities largely responsible for structural changes in the built environment at regional and global levels. Civil construction, as an integral part of the chain of industrial activities, is also one of the segments responsible for energy consumption and potential greenhouse gas emissions throughout its life cycle. The building materials and their systems have a direct influence on energy consumption and impact assessment, both in the pre-operational, use and end-of-life and disposal phases. In this context, Hot Water Building Systems (HWBS) are included. The variability of possibilities available with regard to the choice of energy sources, water reserve and distribution systems and the selection of materials used in these building systems allows empowering the decision-making in the designing phase. The definition of the type of installation to be used in a building is defined by technical and/or economic requirements. However, the spectrum of possibilities should consider resource consumption and generation of environmental impacts throughout the life cycle. This research proposes a novel application of an environmental management method to empower the decision-making process and encourage the selection course of HWBS. This work insights a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to compare a specific the environmental performance of two distinct HWBS (i.e. Natural Gas Heating System and Solar Heating System) for multi-family residential developments.