Toward Net-Zero Renovations: Integrating Building Simulation and LCA for Whole-Life Carbon Assessment

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:The integrated LCIA-BPS framework offers a replicable method for whole-life carbon assessment in building retrofits.

🏢実務担当者:The scenario analysis and sensitivity results guide material and design choices for low-carbon renovations.

🏛政策担当者:The findings highlight the need for stringent whole-life carbon thresholds and the trade-offs in retrofit strategies.

Abstract Enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings often necessitates additional materials and advanced technologies, many of which are not locally sourced. This can result in embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that may offset the savings from reduced operational emissions over the building’s lifetime. Consequently, embodied emissions play a critical role in whole-life GHG emissions reduction and must be evaluated alongside operational emissions to meet emission reduction goals. This study explores the integration of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) with building performance simulation (BPS) to assess the whole-life GHG emissions of residential renovation strategies. An archetype representing a post-World War II single-family dwelling in Belgium serves as a case study for evaluating six retrofit scenarios. These scenarios combine different envelope interventions and materials (petrochemical-based and bio-based options) with varied energy systems and storage technologies, aiming for low-energy and ultra-low energy performance levels. By coupling LCIA with BPS, the analysis captures both embodied and operational GHG emissions over the building’s lifecycle and illustrates the trade-offs involved in material and design choices. The dynamic BPS approach also accounts for projected changes in the electricity mix and energy demand patterns. Findings show that deep energy retrofits can lower total GHG emissions by up to 70% compared to the unrenovated baseline, achieving a minimum of 11.7 kgCO 2 e/(m 2 ·y). Despite this improvement, none of the scenarios satisfy the Danish threshold of 8.2 kgCO 2 e/(m 2 ·y) for total GHG emissions. Sensitivity analysis reveals that factors such as heat pump efficiency, building airtightness, and photovoltaic panels efficiency significantly affect results. The use of bio-based insulation materials achieves up to 7% lower embodied emissions compared to synthetic alternatives. This research presents an integrated framework for balancing operational and embodied emissions, delivering practical guidance for practitioners and policymakers aiming to meet European decarbonization targets through sustainable renovation of the existing building stock.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1615/1/012016first seen 2026-05-29 05:08:39 · last seen 2026-06-03 05:06:04