Energy efficiency strategies, such as building insulation, improve the building performance without compromising comfort. This study presents a methodology for determining the optimal insulation thickness for external building surfaces. Our approach is based on a multi-objective optimization model that minimizes simultaneously the cost and environmental impact associated with both the energy consumption over the operational phase and the generation of the construction materials (including the waste produced during the disposal phase). The thermal loads of the modelled cubicles were calculated using EnergyPlus, a widely used simulation program for buildings. The environmental impact was quantified following the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. This methodology was applied to a case study of a house-like cubicle located in Lleida (northeast Spain). Taking as a basis a standard cubicle without insulation, our approach identifies solutions that reduce around 40% both, the 2 cost and environmental impact. Optimal solutions show also important economic and environmental improvements compared to cubicles constructed with the Spanish legislation requirements. Our method is intended to assist decision-makers in the design of buildings.

We present a systematic approach to optimize the thermal insulation of a building.  The optimization reduces simultaneously the cost and several environmental impacts.  We resort to an objective reduction method to simplify the problem resolution.  We built a surrogate model to expedite the search for Pareto optimal solutions.  Significant improvements compared to the base case (no insulation) are achieved.

At present, most products and processes are optimized according only to their economic performance and disregarding environmental aspects. To promote a more sustainable economy, however, the environmental performance should be accounted for in the analysis. Here we present a methodology based on the use of eco-costs to translate the environmental impact of a building into monetary units that are incorporated explicitly into its economic performance assessment. The capabilities of the methodology presented are illustrated through a case study where the objective is to optimize the thermal insulation of a building envelope in different climate zones. Our approach identifies building solutions that significantly improve the environmental performance at a marginal increase in cost.

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