Greenhouse gas burdens and thermal storage effects over the building lifecycle / CO2-Tonnagen und Wärmespeichereffekte über den Lebenszyklus von Gebäuden

The study outlined in this article was intended to quantify the lifecycle assessment effects resulting from the different thermal storage capacities of the market-relevant construction methods masonry, reinforced concrete and timber frame. Independently reviewed and verified life cycle assessments of representative model homes were the starting point of this study. But the findings of available computer simulations concerning the thermal behaviour of the model homes suggest that different thermal storage capacities of construction materials induce significant deviations of the heating demand, which should also precipitate significant lifecycle assessment differences - because the overall lifecycle assessment results of a building are generally substantially determined by the energy demand during its use phase.