Guidelines on dealing with the issues
This section aims to suggest guidelines and priorities for the users of buildings to
help reduce life cycle environmental impact.
1 As operating energy is the largest component of life cycle energy, its reduction
should be the priority, rather than worrying about embodied energy.
2 Insulation is generally the key to reducing operating energy and refurbishment
should see insulation as a priority. It is generally easiest to insulate the lightweight
elements of a building first and, for a heated building, this will reduce
energy use. Mass elements must also be adequately externally insulated even if
heating is used.
3 To make a comfortable building that needs no heating requires adequate mass
with adequate insulation on its external face.
4 Once the fabric of the building has been insulated, the windows should also be
upgraded. Adding layers to windows in the form of blinds, shutters and
curtains is a simple approach to improving window performance.
5 Avoid having a very ‘wet’ lifestyle, to avoid damage from moisture in the home.
6 If it is not possible to ventilate the house in the daytime by opening the
windows, some other form of deliberate ventilation system should be used to
remove moisture from the interior of the house.
7 Switching off a light when it is not needed is the simplest way to save energy.
8 Compact fluorescent lamps, although more expensive to buy, do make sense in
life cycle terms both for life cycle energy and life cycle cost.
9 Taking shorter showers is the quickest way to save the energy used to heat
water.
10 If a hot water system needs replacing, a solar water heating system with an
adequate storage tank might be an option to reduce the life cycle environmental
impact of a hot water supply.
11 Install Energy Star and European A-class rated appliances where these are
available.
12 Turn off appliances at the wall whenever possible.
13 Use natural finishes rather than those based on petroleum products.
14 Use of second-hand or antique furniture will reduce the overall life cycle
environmental impact.
Conclusion
None of the issues presented in the guidelines above should be a surprise as they
will be found in many discussions on how to make houses and other small
buildings use less energy and have less impact on the natural environment.
What life cycle analysis allows is the chance to set priorities, as it is possible to
see precisely what contributes to the making of the life cycle impact and the
relative size of the constituent parts. If there is one thing life cycle analysis
confirms, it is the importance of insulation in reducing life cycle energy use and
life cycle impact. Insulation is a boring subject, as the money spent on it is
generally not visible in the way money spent on a state-of-the-art kitchen is.
Nevertheless, at every stage of a building’s life its environmental performance
will be improved by the addition of insulation. Perhaps it is the case that building
designers as well as users have to learn to love increased levels of ‘invisible’
insulation within their homes.
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