LIFE CYCLE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT FACADE SYSTEMS: ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT BASED ON SECONDARY DATA AND LCA METHODS

Abstract

This article presents a methodology for the comprehensive assessment of facade systems that combines LCA and LCC approaches and is adapted to the climatic and economic conditions of Kazakhstan. A MATLAB-based software implementation automates calculations based on ISO and EN standards, integrating life cycle matrix models with discounted cash flows and Monte Carlo simulation to account for uncertainties. The effectiveness of the methodology is demonstrated using a sample case: a comparison of four types of facades (SFTC, a ventilated facade with ceramic granite, PIR/PUR sandwich panels, and a facade with integrated photovoltaic modules) over a 50-year period. The input data for this example were taken from publicly available secondary sources and are not tied to a specific project. Therefore, the resulting values illustrate the structure of the model’s input data and the order of magnitude, but do not constitute a project-specific assessment. Even from this example, it is clear that the difference in life-cycle costs between the systems is significantly smaller than the difference in capital costs. The rate of growth in energy tariffs and the discount rate have the strongest influence on the LCC variance, while the price of materials has a weaker influence. After filling in the input matrices with data from a specific project, the methodology can be used to compare different options for building envelopes in various climatic regions of Kazakhstan.