Abstract-The European Union has set a target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. It is not enough to change to low CO 2 emitting energy sources, to increase the efficiency of energy conversion and to accelerate the expansion of renewable sources, but it also needs to increase the energy efficiency. The utilization of residual heat still enjoys significant economic potential, which has not yet been utilized. Corresponding to the second law of thermodynamics each machine produces heat. This heat does not always contain enough energy for a second use. Therefore studies in Germany expect that a temperature level about 60°C is necessary to use waste heat.

No abstract

No abstract

The construction industry has a major influence on man-made carbon dioxide emissions. Being sustainable also means reducing or neutralizing our carbon dioxide pollution in the future. This research and the corresponding work are therefore guided by the following question: Is it possible and useful to conduct life cycle assessments and at the same time analyze the environmental impact of the construction sector? In the context of this work, a life cycle assessment of a building is performed using the example of a hotel building. All construction elements of the thermal envelope are examined from an environmental point of view by considering the global warming potential of each part of the construction. The aim of the study is to draw conclusions about the parameters that are decisive for the construction of a hotel building from an ecological standpoint in the production phase. Based on the results of the study, we want to drive the development of a “future” energy performance certificate forward that graphically illustrates the evaluation of buildings under both aspects - energy efficiency (final energy) and sustainability (GWP - global warming potential).

In this study, a life cycle oriented planning of buildings is proposed to support future building developers and planners in making environmentally sound decisions on the basis of comprehensive information. The study, in which the building certification BNB (Bewertungssystem Nachhaltiges Bauen, or “Assessment System for Sustainable Building”) is carried out on the example of an office building, is applicable to German-speaking countries. In addition to meeting the requirements of the 2020 German Energy Act for Buildings (GebäudeEnergieGesetz, GEG), the aim is to optimize the building with regard to sustainability criteria of the BNB by revising and expanding the existing planning so that the “gold” quality label can eventually be achieved. The biggest influence on this optimization process is, among other things, the life cycle costs, the adaptability of the building, the primary energy demand as well as the technical quality. Based on these findings, this research paper details the further development of the energy performance certificate, before in a final step the building assessment can be graphically presented with regard to both aspects – energy efficiency (final energy) and sustainability (in terms of ecological, economic, socio-cultural, functional and technical quality, process quality and location characteristics) – from the production phase through the usage phase up to the disposal phase.