Life cycle carbon assessment of decarbonising UK’s hard-to-treat homes: A comparative study of conventional retrofit vs EnerPHit, heat pump first vs fabric first and ecological vs petrochemical retrofit approaches

Mohammadpourkarbasi, Haniyeh; Riddle, Brett R.; Liu, Chenfei; Sharples, Steve

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113353

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…With further consideration of the design of the retrofit and further reflection on material choices, Net Zero emissions may be achievable for this house. The substitution of materials with natural, or lower carbon, alternatives may be one way of reducing embodied emissions further, with the benefits of such approaches highlighted by Mohammadpourkarbasi et al (2023). Furthermore, with double glazing already installed is there a benefit in replacing these windows with new triple-glazed units or are operational savings undone by the embodied carbon costs?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whilst (Satola et al 2022) argue for the integration of a whole-lifecycle approach to emissions, for both new build and retrofit, this is currently not always the case. Various studies have examined the operational and embodied emissions associated with retrofit as well as the impact retrofit depth can have on emissions (Famuyibo et al 2013, Colli et al 2018, Vavanou et al 2022, Mohammadpourkarbasi et al 2023, Shibata et al 2023, but the lifecycle stages considered vary. Fewer studies have used EN 15978:2011 as the methodological approach for the LCA and fewer still consider all lifecycle modules within this standard.…”

Section: Study By Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regardless of the differences in reporting the various LCA modules the studies highlighted in table 2 some of these also explore the impact retrofit depth can have on lifecycle emissions. The impact of retrofit depth is illustrated in the studies by Vavanou et al (2022) and Mohammadpourkarbasi et al (2023) where progressively deeper retrofit scenarios reduce lifecycle emissions. It is also apparent, in both of these studies, that increasing retrofit depth shifts the emissions balance from operational emissions towards embodied factors, although operational emissions often remain the largest single source of GHG emissions.…”

Section: Study By Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How far can low emission retrofit of terraced housing in Northern Ireland go?

James,

Mondol,

Hyde

et al. 2024

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

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With both global and national targets to reduce GHG emissions the improvement of existing buildings will be key to realising these ambitions. How this can be achieved, and the impact of whole-life emissions from retrofit remains a key question. This paper investigates the potential of retrofit to reduce and limit lifecycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions resulting from an existing house, typical of one of the predominant housing typologies in Northern Ireland. Through the use of lifecycle assessment (LCA) a range of retrofit scenarios are considered for an early 20th century, solid wall, terraced house, to understand the impacts of retrofit on lifecycle emissions. A range of retrofit scenarios were modelled and simulated, considering both embodied and operational emissions over the building’s lifetime, to understand how net emissions can be reduced. The results show that although fabric and some technological measures can reduce emissions by over 60% when applied in isolation, a holistic approach is required to achieve the greatest reductions. Although operation remains the largest single source of emissions, the results also show the importance of taking a holistic approach to the assessment of retrofit with varying lifecycle stages responsible for considerable emissions. It is seen that emissions reductions of up to 99% may be possible when taking a holistic approach to retrofit and its assessment, considering whole-life emissions. This study highlights the potential benefits of retrofit and how it could be effectively applied to the existing housing stock in Northern Ireland creating low-emission or net-zero emission buildings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%