OPPORTUNITIES AND LIFE CYCLE ENERGY IMPACTS OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE WINDOWS IN REDUCING ENERGY USE IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Ashrafi, Negar

OPPORTUNITIES AND LIFE CYCLE ENERGY IMPACTS OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE WINDOWS IN REDUCING ENERGY USE IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Open Access

Author:: Ashrafi, Negar
Graduate Program:: Architecture
Degree:: Master of Science
Document Type:: Master Thesis
Date of Defense:: June 07, 2016
Committee Members:: Lisa Domenica Iulo, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Shadi Nazarian, Committee Member
R. Allen Kimel, Committee Member
Keywords:: Life Cycle
Energy Efficient
High-Performance Window
Residential Building
Embodied Energy
Production Energy
Abstract:: Today's energy-efficient windows can dramatically lower heating and cooling costs associated with windows while increasing occupant comfort. However, consumers are often confused about how to select the most efficient window for a residence. Furthermore, how this “efficiency” is defined is another problem that needs to be addressed. Energy consumption is a scale that is used for defining energy efficiency. In most cases, the amount of energy that is used during the product’s service life (operational energy) will be measured as the total energy consumption of the product. However, the amount of energy that is used for producing a product is also as much important as operational energy, which should be taken into consideration. In this thesis, it was attempted to provide useful recommendations for selecting the most efficient window glazing systems with regard to their “overall” energy consumption, using a Life-Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA) method. The effect of using thirteen (13) different commonly used types of glazing systems on the annual energy use for a residential building was compared in various climate conditions across the U.S. Moreover, the amount of energy required for producing these glazing systems were identified. The results obtained from the analyses of these two phases of the study was used to create a simple set of guidelines, which can be utilized to select the most efficient glazing systems in terms of overall energy consumption based on different climate condition.

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