Building is recognized today as one of the main energy demanding industry. Hence, the connection between building and energy is assumed as crucial by both practitioners and users, also due to more and more strictly regulations which focuses on this aspect. Energy is a powerful mean, able to give a measure about the environmental issues related to buildings, however it is a wide concept that has to be carefully observed in order to be fully comprehended. Operational Energy is one of the main target of buildings performance optimization, but it is just one of the two characterisations defining the total energy issue. The other important aspect that has to be taken into account is the Embodied Energy, i.e. the energy employed beyond the use of the building and recurring in all the other phase of the life cycle. As the progressive reduction in Operating Energy is a trend in both new construction and refurbishment, the share of the Embodied Energy becomes increasingly important and it must not be neglected in an overall effective energy balance. In order to analyse the Embodied Energy within the buildings life span, together with the others connected environmental impacts, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach has to be undertaken. These kinds of analysis are able to display and quantify a number of environmental impacts related to building and its energy needs, through a series of indicators. But what do these indicators really mean? Which environmental spheres are involved and to what extent? How these threats are linked to building processes? This paper shows the relationship between Embodied Energy and Operational Energy within buildings life cycle, underlining the importance of the “hidden” portion, and investigating which environmental implications are involved in the process, also providing an in-depth look of their meaning and about the way they affect the atmosphere and climate changes.

L’industria degli edifici è riconosciuta, oggi, come una tra le più energivore. Il legame tra edifici ed energia, quindi, è considerato di cruciale importanza sia dai professionisti che dagli utenti, anche in conseguenza della diffusione di norme sempre più rigide incentrate su questo tema. L’energia è un strumento efficace, capace di dare indicazioni sugli aspetti di natura ambientale legati agli edifici ma, allo stesso tempo, è un tema esteso e delicato che necessita di essere osservato con cautela al fine di essere pienamente compreso. L’Energia Operativa è uno degli obiettivi principali delle strategie di ottimizzazione delle prestazioni, ma è solo una delle due categorie di energia che caratterizzano l’energia totale di un edificio. L’altro importante aspetto che deve essere considerato è l’Energia Inglobata, ovvero l’energia impiegata oltre a quella destinata alla fase di esercizio e che, quindi, ricorre in tutte le altre fasi del ciclo di vita. Contestualmente alla tendenza di una progressiva riduzione dell’Energia Operativa, sia nelle nuove costruzioni che nelle ristrutturazioni, la porzione di Energia Inglobata assume maggiore importanza e non può essere trascurata in un’ottica di efficienza energetica complessiva. Al fine di analizzare l’Energia Inglobata durante la vita utile degli edifici, unitamente ad altri impatti ambientali connessi, un approccio LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) deve essere preso in considerazione. Questo tipo di analisi sono in grado di mostrare e quantificare una serie di impatti ambientali relativi all’edificio e alla domanda energetica, attraverso vari indicatori. Ma cosa significano realmente questi indicatori? Quali sfere ambientali sono coinvolte e in quale misura? Come sono connesse queste minacce ai processi edilizi? Questo articolo approfondisce la relazione tra Energia Operativa ed Energia Inglobata durante il ciclo di vita dell’edificio, sottolineando l’importanza della porzione “nascosta”, indagando le implicazioni ambientali coinvolte nel processo, e fornendo, in fine, un approfondimento

Stefano, P., Ernesto, A. (2017). Buildings Hidden Energy and Environmental Consequences. SUSTAINABLE MEDITERRANEAN CONSTRUCTION, 6, 19-23.

Buildings Hidden Energy and Environmental Consequences

Stefano Politi
;
Ernesto Antonini
2017

Abstract

Building is recognized today as one of the main energy demanding industry. Hence, the connection between building and energy is assumed as crucial by both practitioners and users, also due to more and more strictly regulations which focuses on this aspect. Energy is a powerful mean, able to give a measure about the environmental issues related to buildings, however it is a wide concept that has to be carefully observed in order to be fully comprehended. Operational Energy is one of the main target of buildings performance optimization, but it is just one of the two characterisations defining the total energy issue. The other important aspect that has to be taken into account is the Embodied Energy, i.e. the energy employed beyond the use of the building and recurring in all the other phase of the life cycle. As the progressive reduction in Operating Energy is a trend in both new construction and refurbishment, the share of the Embodied Energy becomes increasingly important and it must not be neglected in an overall effective energy balance. In order to analyse the Embodied Energy within the buildings life span, together with the others connected environmental impacts, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach has to be undertaken. These kinds of analysis are able to display and quantify a number of environmental impacts related to building and its energy needs, through a series of indicators. But what do these indicators really mean? Which environmental spheres are involved and to what extent? How these threats are linked to building processes? This paper shows the relationship between Embodied Energy and Operational Energy within buildings life cycle, underlining the importance of the “hidden” portion, and investigating which environmental implications are involved in the process, also providing an in-depth look of their meaning and about the way they affect the atmosphere and climate changes.
2017
Stefano, P., Ernesto, A. (2017). Buildings Hidden Energy and Environmental Consequences. SUSTAINABLE MEDITERRANEAN CONSTRUCTION, 6, 19-23.
Stefano, Politi; Ernesto, Antonini
File in questo prodotto:
Eventuali allegati, non sono esposti

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/615139
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact