Energy Savings Through Better Building Materials And Improved Building

Processes
By S. Dildar Haider Naqvi
I. INTRODUCTION:
Background Information:
Today, when the concern for planetary resources is growing rapidly, energy efficiency is the
focus of all discussion and research. Buildings consume around 32% of the total final energy and
40% of the total primary energy.
[1]
Furthermore, buildings account for about 45% of UKs CO
2

emissions.
[2]
Such a large share in primary energy demand has got exclusive attention to the
buildings while addressing energy efficiency.
Buildings take energy at different phases in their life cycle. First the materials required to make
the buildings need energy for extraction, manufacture and transport to the building site, this
constitutes initial embodied energy. Secondly the building need energy for its operation during
its lifecycle, this constitutes operational energy. In lifecycle of a building along with operational
energy it requires energy for refurbishments, repairs or maintenance etc. This constitutes
recurring embodied energy. At final stage buildings take energy for their demolition or
deconstruction. Initial embodied energy of a building can be as great as 67% of its operational
energy for a period of 25 years.
[3]

The operating energy is becoming lesser and lesser due to energy efficiency which signifies the
fraction of embodied energy in buildings. More attention is given to embodied energy as the
operational energy becomes smaller.
Better choice of building materials and improved building processes can lead to reduction in
embodied energy as well as operational energy of buildings thus providing energy savings
without compromising the comfort level.
This essay focuses on embodied energy of different building materials along with their
operational energy, a comparison is made between the embodied energy of alternative materials
and materials with least embodied energy are suggested for achieving energy savings.
Thesis Statement:
Use of least energy intensive building materials lowers the embodied energy of buildings without
compromising the comfort.
Outline:
LP cement as an alternative to Portland cement.
Wood as an alternative to steel and aluminum for doors and windows.
Hollow concrete block as an alternative to brick for non- or little-load bearing walls.
Wooden roofs as an alternative to RC slab roofing for single and double storey buildings.
Polyurethane foam insulation.
Cellulose insulation.
Plywood and hardboard for partitioning.
Recycling of building materials.
Basic building materials for mortar and concrete with lesser embodied energy can remarkably
decrease the energy consumption on building materials. Cement, lime and LP are three
alternatives for mortars and other primary cement applications like concrete. As mentioned in
table 1, cement has an average energy consumption of 5.85 MJ/kg, hydrated lime 5.63 MJ/kg
and LP cement (lime 30%, pozzolana 60%, calcined gypsum 10%) 2.33 MJ/kg.
[4]
LP cement can
give energy savings and it is a good alternative especially for secondary applications such as
masonry mortar, plastering, base/sub-base for flooring etc.

Basic Building Materials Thermal Energy (MJ/kg)
Cement 5.85
Lime 5.63
LP 2.33
Steel 42.0
Aluminum 236.8
Glass 25.8
Wood 15
Table 1: Energy in basic building materials.
Steel, aluminum and glass are three energy intensive materials used in construction of buildings,
minimizing their use or using alternative materials with low embodied energy can yield energy
savings. Steel doors, window and grills are used in Pakistan. Aluminum windows are a new trend
for fancy windows. Glass is used for doors for commercial applications and window screens.
Wood, with an embodied energy of 15MJ/kg, is a handsome alternative to steel for doors and to
steel and aluminum for windows giving remarkable energy savings due to less embodied energy
and much lesser density than steel and glass. In addition to savings in embodied energy, wooden
doors and windows give better insulation than steel and aluminum doors and windows thus
reducing operational energy demand.

Masonry materials Energy per
brick/block (MJ)
equivalent
Energy % of brick
energy
Stone block 0 0
Burnt clay brick 4.25 100
Soil-cement block 1 23.5
Hollow concrete block 1.32 31.2
Steam cured block 2.58 60.6
Table 2: Energy in masonry materials.

A good choice of masonry materials from alternatives listed in table can yield energy savings.
Stone block needs no thermal energy for production, burnt clay brick is on the other hand most
energy intensive. The carbon footprint for burnt clay brick is 991 pounds per cubic yard and that
of hollow concrete block is 572 pounds per cubic yard.
[5]
Hollow concrete block is widely
available in Pakistan and can be used for masonry walls without load bearing or with little load
bearing capacity. Roof and overall structure of building can be supported on brick columns or
walls while hollow concrete blocks can be used for internal spacing.
Type of floor/roof Energy per m
2
of
plan area (MJ)
Equivalent of RC
solid slab energy (%)
RC slab 730 100
SMB filler slab floor 590 80.8
RC ribbed slab floor 491 67.3
Composite brick panel roof 560 76.7
Burnt clay brick masonry
vault roof
575 78.8
SMB masonry vault roof 418 57.3
Ferroconcrete roof 158 21.6
Table 3: Energy in different roofs/floor systems (Span =3.6m).
Roof and flooring systems are the major contributors to the embodied energy of a building
therefore choice of less energy intensive roof/floor systems is essential to reduce overall
embodied energy of a building. RC slab is the most energy intensive and most common place
roofing system in Pakistan. Its use should be limited to multi-storey buildings and low energy
intense alternatives should be used for single and double-storey buildings. Wooden roofs with
wooden beams are a handsome alternative to RC slab yielding energy savings and better
insolation although their use in Pakistan, especially in urban areas, is very rare. Timber roof
framing has an embodied energy of 2.5MJ/kg.
[6]
Using FOAM-TECHs Superinsulation (polyurethane) can provide an energy-efficient building.
Some characteristics of foam insulation are:
Foam insulation is so effective, even under the most extreme environmental conditions,
that it reduces energy costs and related fossil fuel emissions.
Foam is environmentally friendly. Water-blown and low ozone-depletion-potential
products are friendly to the earths atmosphere, reduce fuel consumption, and reduce the
materials needed for the construction of energy-efficient buildings.
Polyurethane foam insulation is durable and provides consistent performance over the
lifetime of the structure, which lowers the embodied energy invested in the building.
[7]

Cellulose insulation has an energy intensity of 600BTU per sq. ft. which is much lesser than that
of mineral wool: 2980BTU/sq.ft, fiber glass: 4550BTU per sq. ft
[8]
So cellulose is recommended
for lowering the embodied energy of a building.
Plywood and hardboard sheets in standard sizes are available in market. They can be used for
partitioning within the rooms or within external wall boundary. Plywood has an embodied
energy of 10.4MJ/kg and hardboard has an embodied energy intensity of 24.2MJ/kg.
[9]
These
materials are much less denser than brick walls and thus can be effectively used for partitioning
within the rooms.
Recycling building materials means not having to spend energy on extraction of materials and
their processing. If recycled building materials are available they should be preferred to reduce
embodied energy of buildings. Bricks, doors, windows etc. can be recycled from older buildings
not in use.
Conclusions:
Large reduction in operational energy has signified reducing embodied energy. Choosing least
energy intensive material for construction purposes can serve the purpose of lowering embodied
energy of a building. From our discussion wood has proved itself to be the least energy intensive
material for several construction applications such as roofs, floors, doors, windows and
partitioning walls etc. Hollow concrete blocks are far less energy intensive than fireclay bricks.
Cellulose and polyurethane can be exploited as insulating materials. Such an intelligent choice of
building materials and use of recycled building materials helps reduce embodied energy as well
as carbon footprint of buildings.
References:
[1] International Energy Agency, https://www.iea.org/aboutus/faqs/energyefficiency/, 2014.
[2] Low Energy Buildings, http://www.ashden.org/low-energy-buildings, 2014.
[3] Y.G. Yohanis and B. Norton, Life-cycle operational and embodied energy for a generic single-storey office building in the UK, Energy vol.
27, pp. 77-92, 2002.
[4] B.V. Venkatarama Reddy and K.S. Jagadish, Embodied energy of common and alternative building materials and technologies, Energy and
Buildings vol. 35, pp.129-137, 2003.
[5] Vivian Volz et. al. Reducing Embodied Energy in Masonry Construction, http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=1064, May,
2010.
[6] Embodied Energy Case Study, http://www.level.org.nz/material-use/embodied-energy/embodied-energy-case-study/.
[7] Sustainability and Embodied Energy, http://www.foam-tech.com/theory/sustainability.htm, 2008.
[8] Martin Holladay, For ordinary buildings, embodied energy isnt very important but what about superinsulated buildings?,
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/all-about-embodied-energy, Nov, 2013.
[9] Embodied Energy in Building Materials, http://totnesedap.org.uk/book/appendices/appendix-c/embodied-energy-in-building-materials/.