InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Life Cycle Assessment of High-Performance Thermal Insulation Systems for Domestic Buildings Ivo Mersiowsky, TuTech Integrated Management, Hamburg/Germany & Hermann Krähling, Solvay Management Support, Hanover/Germany

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Sustainable Solutions for our Needs Depending on the Climate, we spend more or less Energy on Heating (or, Cooling). The Demand of Energy can be significantly reduced by Insulating our Homes …

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & What do we need Thermal Insulation of Buildings for?  Warm, Dry and Hygienic Rooms  Reduce Heating & Cooling Energy  Save Money Which are the Main Success Factors for a Thermal Insulation System?  Technical Performance  Costs  End Users‘ and Workers‘ Safety  Environmental Profile Thermal Insulation Products — It’s the System Performance that Counts … HealthandComfort

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & High-performing Insulation Sprays and Boards  Rigid Polyurethane (PUR) Foams – Very Low Thermal Conductivity  As Foaming and Insulation Agents, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, e.g. HCFC-141b, were employed due to their Advantageous Properties.  BUT — Montreal Protocol: HCFCs are phased out due to their Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP).  The zero-ODP Hydrofluorocarbon HFC-365mfc is Developed to Replace HCFC- 141b.  Excellent Insulation Performance  Safe Handling, no Risks for End-users  Significant Reduction of Heating/Cooling Costs  BUT — HFC-365mfc possesses a High Global Warming Potential (GWP) Foaming and Insulation Agents — High-performance Products — A previous LCA for Central Europe revealed a Competitive Environmental Profile of HFC- 365mfc – but does this apply to the Iberian Peninsula as well?

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & The Iberian Market — Success Factors of an LCA — What we needed was a Focused Study Considering the Specific …  Climatic Conditions  Construction Habits  Heating/Cooling Technologies  … and thus allow us to Support Product Development and Market Positioning. Among the Crucial Success Factors of an LCA is the Selection of Partners along the Entire Product Chain who know the Market, the Customers, and their Needs.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & MaterialEnergy WasteEmissions Thermal Insulation & Climate Protection — Why we need the Systems Approach — Thermal Energy Generation CO 2 Heating/Cooling  Only when taking the Generation and Use of Thermal Energy for Heating and Cooling into consideration can we assess the Performance of a Thermal Insulation System. HFC

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Energy, Mineral Resources, Water Scope of the LCA Study — Life Cycle of PU Thermal Insulation Foam — GWP: global warming potentialODP: ozone depleting potentialAP: acid rain NP: nutrification of water and soilPOCP: summer smog Emissions (GWP, ODP, AP, NP, POCP) Waste Management ComponentsPU FoamsUse Phase Obviously, the Use Phase is an Important Consideration, since that is where we spend Energy for Decades!

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Applications of Rigid PU FoamSprays Rigid PU Foam Sprays for Domestic Dwellings Applications of PU Insulation Foam — Variants and Parameters for LCI Calculation — Foaming/Insulation Agents  HCFC-141b (Reference)  Water/CO 2 (non-HFC Variant)  HFC-365mfc (New Product) Parameters  Spray Thickness:30 mm  HFC Production Losses:5 %  HFC Diffusion Losses:1.2 %/a  Service Life:50 years  Heating Degree Days: Varied depending on Investigated Region. Pitched Warm Roof Cavity Wall Roof and Wall Scenarios were specified according to Spanish Construction Examples. Climatic Conditions were in Accordance with the Applicable Spanish Ordinance on Thermal Insulation of Buildings.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Climatic Zones in Spain and Portugal — According to Applicable Ordinances — Barcelona Toledo Madrid Almeria Lisboa Avila Major Cities were Selected Representing Climatic Zones and Important Markets.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Energy Demand of a Pitched Warm Roof — Comparison of HCFC-141b, Water/CO 2, HFC-365mfc — 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 Energy [MJ / (m 2.50a)] Production MadridAvila Almeria BarcelonaToledo Lisboa (Cooling) Thermal Energy (Heating) Thermal Energy Water/CO 2 HCFC-141bHFC-365mfc Due to better Insulation Properties of the resulting Foam, HFC-365mfc results in a lower Energy Demand compared to using Water/CO 2 as a Blowing Agent. Results for AP and NP are similar.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Global Warming for a Pitched Warm Roof — Comparison of HCFC-141b, Water/CO 2, HFC-365mfc — ,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 GWP100 [kg CO 2 eq. / (m 2.50a)] Avila Production Almeria Barcelona Toledo Madrid Lisboa Thermal Energy (Heating) Water/CO 2 HCFC-141bHFC-365mfc Thermal Energy (Cooling) Diffusion HFC-365mfc has Advantages even regarding GWP, except in Regions with Low Demands on Thermal Insulation where the smaller Savings are compensated by Diffusion of the HFC Blowing Agent with its High Specific GWP.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Sensitivity and Scenario Analyses To Confirm the Validity of the Results, we have varied:  Thermal Conductivity  Service Life  Diffusion Rate during Service Life  Thickness of Spray  Climatic Zones (Heating/Cooling Degree Days)  Heating Systems Incineration and even Landfilling as Waste Management Scenarios do not significantly change the Results.  The Scenario and Sensitivity Analyses Confirm the Outcome: HFC-365mfc shows a Competitive Environmental Profile. It has Advantages wherever High-Performance Thermal Insulation is Required.

Product Assessment Approach Environmental Impact 1 kg HFC-365mfc in Thermal Insulation Greenhouse Impact ca. 150–750 kg CO 2 Equivalents (Blowing Agent Loss 15–85 %) Only HFC Emissions considered 1 kg HFC in PUR Thermal Insulation Saves up to 1000 kg CO 2 Equivalents compared to non-HFC variant. Net Greenhouse Gas Reduction CO 2 Reduction (»gross«) Minus: HFC Emissions gross net Thermal Insulation for Domestic and Industrial Buildings  HFC-blown PUR Foams Reduce Energy Demand and thus CO 2 Emissions – a Net Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions is achieved. Identifying Sustainable Solutions — LCA for Reliable Decisions —

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Relevance of Climatic Zones — Comparing USA and Europe — Environmental Benefit The Basic Results apply to the US as well: in Colder Regions, Greater Benefits can be gained with High-performance Thermal Insulation.

InLCA-LCM 2002 e-Conference: & Conclusions … — … and Lessons Learnt — Reduction of Energy Demand  approx. 15 % due to Lower Thermal Conductivity of HFC- blown PUR Foams  Equals: Every 7th year You get Heating/Cooling for Free Madrid GWP Reduction 11%0%  Only when we know the Environmental Profile of the whole Product System – and take the Climatic Conditions of the Envisaged Market into account – can we Successfully Position a Thermal Insulation System.