The relationship between material service life and the life cycle energy of contemporary residential buildings in Australia

Abstract

Energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions of buildings have a significant effect on the environment. To reduce energy consumption in buildings, it is important to understand energy use occurring across the building life cycle. While previous studies have shown the significance of both the energy required for building operation as well as the energy embodied in initial building construction, an understanding of the total energy embodied in replacement materials over a building's life is not as well developed. One of the key factors affecting this recurring embodied energy is the service life of materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the service life..