Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

The environmental impacts of thermal insulation of buildings

including the categories of damage: A Polish case study
Robert Dylewski a, *, Janusz Adamczyk b
a
Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Econometrics, University of Zielona Go
ra, ul. Licealna 9, 65-417, Zielona Go

ra, Poland
b
ra, ul. Licealna 9, 65-417, Zielona Go
Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Zielona Go
ra, Poland

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Households have a big impact on energy efficiency in Poland. About 80% of final energy in the con-
Received 18 September 2015 struction sector is used for heating buildings. Due to the significant role which is assigned to the thermal
Received in revised form modernization in European documents, the paper attempts to assess the environmental benefits of the
12 July 2016
investment consisting of thermal insulation of the building external vertical walls, with the use of LCA
Accepted 25 July 2016
Available online 27 July 2016
analysis and divided into three categories of damage. A methodology for assessing the benefits has been
proposed and the analyses for different variants have been performed, including the condition of the
building before thermal insulation, the used heat source, the type of thermal insulation and the climatic
Keywords:
Thermal insulation
zone in which the building is located. It has been shown that the investment, for all examined variants, is
Energy savings beneficial for environmental reasons. In the worst case, the reduction of the burden on the environment
Environmental benefits as a result of the investment occurs after 5 years, while in most cases only after one year. The obtained
Life cycle assessment environmental benefits depend primarily on the condition of the building before thermal insulation and
Damage categories the used heat source. The greater are the advantages, the bigger is the demand for thermal energy of the
Eco-indicator 99 building that also depends on the climate zone. Because of the thermal insulation material the greatest
environmental benefits are found in the case of ecofibre. Taking into account three categories of damage,
the greatest benefits were achieved in the Resources category.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction important role in the reduction of the energy demand. However,

Economic development around the world depends on energy
supplies, whether in the form of electricity or in the form of ther-
mal energy, which is most often produced in Poland with the use of
the fossil fuels. By all means, nowadays the ways of generating the
so-called renewable energy are well-known, however the acquisi-
tion of the aforementioned energy requires investments, which
consume additional mineral resources. There is no method of
generating energy which has no impact on the environment, since
every method of obtaining energy has certain environmental con-
ditions. Therefore, it is assumed that the best method, among the
others, to reduce the impact of energy on the environment will be
the improvement of energy efficiency. It is also believed that the
saved energy is the cheapest energy. Naturally, the changes in the
behaviour patterns of the users of the building may play an
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: R.Dylewski@wmie.uz.zgora.pl (R. Dylewski), J.Adamczyk@
wez.uz.zgora.pl (J. Adamczyk).
due to the essential role of reducing the greenhouse gases through
thermal modernization, which was assigned in the literature of the
subject (see McKinsey curve (McKinsey & Company, 2009)), this
aspect was marked as leading in the article.
Of course, any method to save energy in households is impor-
tant and contributes measurably to the environmental protection
(Carpio et al., 2014). In Europe, the construction and services sec-
tors are responsible for the biggest final energy consumption in
2010 (41%), followed by transport (32%), industry (25%) and agri-
culture (2%). Consumption of primary energy in Europe in the
construction sector increased within 20 years by 5% (years
1990e2010). In Poland, similarly as in Europe, the highest final
energy consumption occurs in the building and services sectors,
however, the value of share is higher than the European average
and amounts to 44.6%. Households may also be an important link in
improving energy efficiency in Poland because of their prevalence.
It should be noted that the final energy in the construction sector is
largely absorbed for heating buildings (about 80% of the energy is
consumed by households) (Adamczyk, 2014). Due to such structure

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.07.172
0959-6526/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887
of energy consumption in the construction sector, the literature
emphasizes that thermal modernization of buildings is an impor-
tant aspect of improving energy efficiency (Al-Homoud, 2005;
Giama and Papadopoulos, 2007; Dylewski and Adamczyk, 2011,
2014a, 2014b). Unfortunately, due to the fact that there is no
direct influence of state decision-making on individuals (land-
lords), there is an existing dilemma about a univocal articulation of
the need to undertake thermal modernization investments. How-
ever, it cannot be doubted that the largest and most cost-effective
potential for improving energy efficiency is found in the housing
_
sector (Zmijewski and Sokołowski, 2010). In the National Action
Plan (NAP) on energy efficiency for Poland the following measures
were identified (NAP, 2014):
I Horizontal measures:
1) The energy efficiency obligation system (white
certificates);
2) Priority Programme: Smart Energy Networks;
3) Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment
2014e2020 (Investment Priority 4.iv.) e Development and
implementation of smart distribution systems for medium
and low voltage levels;
4) Information and education campaigns.
II Measures concerning the energy efficiency of buildings and
public institutions:
1) Thermal modernization and Renovation Fund;
2) Green Investment Scheme. Part 1 e Energy management
in public buildings;
3) Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment
2014e2020 (Investment Priority 4.iii.) e Promoting energy
efficiency, intelligent power management and the use of
renewable energy sources in public infrastructures, including
public buildings and the housing sector;
4) Energy efficiency improvement, Part 3 e Subsidies for
loans for the construction of energy-efficient houses;
5) Operational Programme PL04 e “Saving energy and pro-
moting renewable energy sources” within the EEA Financial
Mechanism 2009e2014 (area no. 5-energy efficiency and
area no. 6 e renewable energy);
6) The Green Investment Scheme. Part 5 e Energy manage-
ment in buildings of selected public finance sector entities;
7) Energy efficiency improvement. Part 2 e LEMUR e
Energy-efficient Buildings for Public Services;
8) Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment
(OPIE) 2007e2013 (Measure 9.3) e Thermal modernization
of public buildings;
9) Efficient use of energy. Part 6 e OWL e Energy-efficient
street lighting;
10) Regional Operational Programmes for 2014e2020.
Two activities: Energy efficiency improvement and PL04 Oper-
ational Programme are addressed to individuals (landlords) to
encourage erecting new, energy efficient buildings in Poland which
will “distance” the standard requirements. The literature (Dylewski
and Adamczyk, 2011, 2012) has shown that at the current prices of
energy and thermal insulation materials, it is profitable, economi-
cally and ecologically, to perform thermal insulation of building
walls with lower values of heat transfer coefficient than it is
imposed in the national standards. Some of these activities, as for
instance, the Thermal modernization and Renovation Fund,
encourage to invest in the so-called thermal modernization of the
already existing buildings. The next section will be devoted to the
most important legal regulations connected to the so-called Energy
Package.
879
2. Legislation norms
Global climate changes, which are a fact, and the preoccupation
with the sustainable development formed the basis of the estab-
lishment of the Kyoto Protocol (December 1997) (Molinos-Senante
et al., 2015). This protocol is an international treaty supplementing
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(Berre et al., 2013). The Treaty entered into force on February 16,
2005, three months after it was ratified by Russia on November 4,
2004 and then expired on December 31, 2012. It sets standards for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions (average emissions reduced by
6% from 1990 during the years 2008e2012; for Poland, 1988 was
chosen as the base year) (Szymczyk, 2006).
In Europe, the European Union member states faced even higher
requirements for the reduction of greenhouse gases. On January 10,
2007 the European Commission published a package of documents
which was called the Energy Package. This package is also known
under the slogan 3
20, as it alludes to three main objectives,
which are necessary to be achieved by 2020: the first one is to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, the second one is to in-
crease the production from renewable energy sources to 20% and
the third one is the discussed improvement of energy efficiency by
20%.
Notwithstanding the fact that there are still a few years to come
before those aims can be achieved, another amendment to the
package was proposed in the European Union. During the meeting
of the European Council on October 23e24, 2014 the frameworks
for climate and energy policy until 2030 were established on the
basis of the principles contained in the conclusions of March 2014.
The goals binding at EU level and set out in the conclusions from
October concern (Gawlikowska-Fyk, 2014):
 limitation of the internal greenhouse gas emissions until 2030
by at least 40% in comparison with 1990 level,
 increasing the share of energy from renewable sources in energy
consumption in the EU by at least 27%,
 improving energy efficiency in 2030 in comparison with the
forecasts - an indicative target of at least 27%.
Each of these legal acts is reflected in the national legislation of
the European Union member states. A number of regulations was
developed on the basis of these documents, including the so-called
documents of third energy package (see Table 1).
According to the Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency,
Member States should establish a long-term strategy for the period
after 2020, mobilizing owners and managers to invest in the
renovation of residential and commercial buildings in order to
improve the energy performance of the building stock. In addition,
it is noted that the strategy for improving the efficiency of building
substance should apply to cost-effective deep renovations that lead
to modernization thanks to which both power consumption
delivered and final energy consumption are reduced in buildings
particularly when compared to pre-renovation levels, and thus
resulting in a very good energy performance (Directive 2012/27/EU,
2012).
Because of the significant role assigned to thermal moderniza-
tion in European documents, the paper attempts to assess the
ecological impact of the investment consisting of thermal insu-
lation of external vertical walls of the building while using LCA
analysis and divided into three categories of damage.
3. LCA methodology
The methodology of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA)
is a relatively “new” technique that developed rapidly in the 90s
880 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887

Table 1
Documents of third energy package.

Directive of the European Parliament and the European Council 2009/73 EC of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing
Directive 2003/55/EC, Acts. EU Office L 211, p. 94;
Directive of the European Parliament and the European Council 2009/72/EC of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing
Directive 2003/54/EC, Acts. Office. EU 2009 L 211, p. 55;
Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the European Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU
and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC;
Regulation of the European Parliament and the European Council (EC) No. 715/2009 of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission networks and
repealing Regulation (EC) No. 1775/2005, Acts. Office. 2009 L 211, p. 36;
Regulation of the European Parliament and the European Council (EC) No. 714/2009 of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in
electricity and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 1228/2003, Acts. Office. EU 2009 L 211, p. 15;
Regulation of the European Parliament and the European Council (EC) No. 713/2009 of 13 July 2009 establishing the Agency on Cooperation of Energy Regulators, Acts.
Office. 2009 L 211, p. 1.

(Guidelines for Life-Cycle Assessment, 1993; Buyle et al., 2013). The relation to the functional unit within the predefined unit processes
analysis is more and more often implemented in the building sector and the adopted system boundaries.
as it is used to the assessment and choice of building materials in
accordance to their impact on the environment (Audenaert et al.,
3.3. Life cycle impact assessment
2012). The analysis had its formal character since the release of
the ISO 14040-43 standards in 1998. The amendment of the stan-
This phase is focused on understanding and assessing the size
dards was conducted in 2006 when previous four standards were
and significance of potential impacts of production processes of
replaced by two: ISO 14040 (2006) and ISO 14044 (2006), under
building materials on the environment. At this stage, modelling of
which a properly conducted LCA analysis consists of four consec-
the environmental issues, which are known as the categories of
utive steps described in the foregoing standards: Goal and Scope
impact, and the use of indicators of environmental categories are
Definition, LCI e Life Cycle Inventory, and LCIA e Life Cycle Impact
involved. Life cycle impact assessment in accordance with ISO
Assessment and Interpretation.
14040 includes compulsory elements:

3.1. Goal and scope definition
The aim of the study is to determine the environmental impact
of the production phase of building materials (thermal insulating)
used to thermally insulate vertical walls of a single-family building.
In addition, the phase of the use of a single-family building will be
subjected to an environmental impact assessment carried out in
the context of thermal modernization and the change in the de-
mand for thermal energy. Understanding the purpose and the use
of the research provides the basis to identify and define: the system
of the product, with its boundaries and also the functional unit.
Determining the system of the product means identifying all
the operations relating to the product and/or activity. The system is
understood as a collection of material- and energy-linked unit
processes that fulfil one or more specific functions. Boundaries of
the system determine which unit processes should be integrated in
the life-cycle assessment. In the studies, the system of the product
will include a phase of creation of the material and/or construction
products alongside with the phase of acquisition of raw materials
and energy for their generation and the phase of use (i.e., energy
phase). The functional unit should match the purpose and the
scope of the research, and its main task is to provide reference for
the standardization of input and output data system, and it should
also be clearly defined and measurable. It is also necessary to
specify the amount of product required to fulfil the function e i.e.
the reference flow. The functional unit for building materials was
adopted as 1 m3 of the building material, and the functional unit for
the energy phase is thermal energy consumption in the size of
1 kWh.
3.2. Analysis of inputs and outputs e inventory data
The assumptions of this stage are based on the balance sheets of
material and energy. Input data e the statement of the amount of
materials and energy entering the system, and output data e the
amount of emissions that leave the system as a release material and
non-material to the environment, are collected and analysed in
 choosing and specifying the categories of impact, category in-
dicators and characterization models,
 classification, i.e., the assignment of a data collection to impact
categories,
 characterization and modelling of a data collection within the
categories of impact in the form of the indicator categories, that
result in the values of indicators category e calculation of the
value of the indicator, which includes selecting and applying the
characterization parameters to convert the assigned LCI results
into the general units and the aggregation of converted LCI re-
sults into a numerical value of the indicator.
In addition to the mandatory elements of the LCIA the optional
elements such as (ISO 14040, 2006): normalization; grouping;
weighing; data quality analysis can also be taken into account.
3.4. Interpretation
The interpretation of the life cycle assessment is a systematic
procedure of identification, quantification, verification and final
assessment of the information derived from the inventory analysis
LCI and/or LCIA. At this stage, the final conclusions are formulated
in accordance with the purpose and the scope of the research
established at the beginning. The assessment aims to achieve and
strengthen confidence in the study and the reliability of the results
of the research of LCA or LCI and to present a clear and an under-
standable view on the results of the research. The conclusions of
the research of LCA or LCI should be formulated while taking into
account the interdependencies among other elements of the
interpretation phase. The last element of the interpretation phase is
a report, containing the report of the study.
To evaluate the life cycle of the product a range of computer
programs that support the performance of the analysis is used.
SimaPro 7.1 and Eco-indicator 99 method implemented in it were
used to analyse the impact of product life cycle (SimaPro, 2009).
The Eco-indicator 99 method enables the assessment with regard
to the eleven categories of impact and the grouping of these
 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887
categories into three categories of damage (see Table 2).
The categories of impact in the Eco-indicator 99 method in the
procedure of characterization have a variety of units. In the cate-
gory of human health there are: a number and duration of illnesses
and years of life lost due to premature death caused by the envi-
ronmental contamination. A unit [DALY - Disability Adjusted Life
Years] is the unit of harmfulness to health, which indicates the flow
of harmful substances in tonnes per year.
In the category of ecosystem quality the phenomena affecting
the diversity of species, in particular vascular tissue of plants and
lower organisms, are recognised. The unit [PDF*m2*yr; PDF e
Potentially Disappeared Fraction of plant species] and [PAF m2*yr
e Potentially Affected Fraction] is a term of ecotoxicity expressed as
a percentage as it refers to all species living in the environment
under the conditions of toxic influence e “toxic stress.”
In the category of natural resources the additional energy that
will be needed in the future to extract the lower quality mineral and
fossil raw materials is included. The violation of agricultural and
bulk raw materials (e.g., sand, gravel) is taken into account in land
use. The unit is [MJ surplus energy].
In the Eco-indicator 99 method in the weighing process, the
categories of impact and damage are expressed in points (Pt). One
mPt represents the annual damage to the environment that is
caused by one citizen of Europe. The LCA methodology was used for
the assessment of the environmental benefits of thermal insulation
investments.
4. The method of assessment of environmental benefits
Examination of the impact on the environment is justified for
many investments. We propose to define environmental indicators
on the model of economic indicators, however, the expenditures
are associated with an additional increase in burden on the envi-
ronment, and the income are bound with the reduction of envi-
ronmental load as a result of realization of thermal insulation
investment. It is assumed that the values of the environment load
(Pt) do not change while discounting in time.
The environmental benefits can be assessed with the help of the
ecological value of the investment NPVE, per 1 m2 of the wall:
X
n h . i
NPVE ¼ Ej Pt m2
j¼0
where:E0 < 0 e size of the increase of environmental load con-
nected with the performance of the thermal insulation (see equa-
tion (3)),Ej > 0 e size of the reduction of environmental load due to
thermal insulation investment in the year (tj-1, tj], j ¼ 1, 2, …, n (see
equation (4)),n e number of years of the use of thermal insulation.
The investment is considered to be profitable in the
Table 2
Categories of impact and categories of damage used in the assessment method of Eco-indicator 99.
Impact categories
Carcinogens
Respiratory organics
Respiratory inorganics
Climate change
Radiation
Ozone layer
Ecotoxicity
Acidification/Eutrophication
Land use
Minerals
Fossil fuels
Source: Own study based on (Eco-indicator 99, 2000).
881
environmental terms (it generates the reduction of the burden on
the environment) if the value NPVE is non-negative. Comparing
several investments (due to this indicator), the one that has a
greater value NPVE is considered to be better.
It is also possible to introduce the ecological indicator, expressed
in units of time. The shortest possible period is defined as an
ecological payback period [0, TE], for which the ecological value of
investment of all Ej flows from this period is non-negative:
8 9
< X
k =
TE ¼ min tk : Ej  0 ½years (2)
: ;
j¼0
If NPVE < 0, the ecological payback period TE does not exist (the
investment will cause the increase of the burden on the environ-
ment). Comparing several investments (due to this indicator) the
investment, which has a lower value TE is considered to be better.
For ecological reasons, expenditures (increasing the burden on
the environment) are associated with the production of thermal
insulation material. They depend on the type of thermal insulation
material and the thickness of the insulation layer:
h . i
E0 ¼ Kl $d Pt m2 ; (3)
where:Kl e result of LCA analysis for 1 m3 of thermal insulation
material [Pt/m3],d e thickness of thermal insulation layer [m].
The income (the reduction of environmental load) occurs during
the use phase of the building because of a reduction in energy
consumption needed to heat the building. The impact on the
ecological income is primarily caused by: a used heat source and
the properties of walls with and without thermal insulation:
h . i
Ej ¼ ðEUo  EU Þ=p; j ¼ 1; 2; …; n Pt m2 ; (4)
where:EUo e result of LCA analysis of one year of thermal use phase
of the building, with the heat transfer coefficient Uo (for external
building walls without thermal insulation) [Pt],EU e result of LCA
analysis of one year of thermal use phase of the building, with the
heat transfer coefficient U (for external building walls with thermal
insulation) [Pt],p e surface of the external vertical building walls
(1) [m2].
The value EU (similarly EUo) can be determined in the following
way:
EU ¼ DU $ pu $ Ke ½Pt=year; (5)
where:DU e annual demand for building thermal power attribut-
able to 1 m2 of usable area with a heat transfer coefficient of
external vertical walls U [kWh/m2year],pu e usable area of the
Damages categories
Human health [disability adjusted life years (DALY)]
Ecosystem quality [PDF m2yr] [PAF m2yr]
Resources [MJ surplus energy]
882 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887
building [m2],Ke e LCA result of obtaining 1 kWh of thermal energy
for a given heat source [Pt/kWh].
The studies include the factors affecting the demand for thermal
energy of the building and in consequence, the ecological benefits.
The assignment of indicators was carried out for different variants:
the external vertical walls, the applied heat sources and thermal
insulation materials. Finally, the climate zone in which the building
is situated was also taken into consideration. The calculations were
made separately for each of three categories of damage with the
assessment Eco-indicator 99 method: D1 e Human health, D2 e
Ecosystem quality and D3 e Resources. The next section presents
the analysed building.
5. The building in study
The studies involved a residential building with an attic, suitable
for a 4 to 6-person-family with a usable area pu ¼ 140.20 m2 and the
surface of the external vertical walls p ¼ 206.61 m2 Fig. 1 presents
the plan of the analysed building.
The building provides water heating pumps, thermal insulated
pipes conducted in wall furrows, the floor and on the top of the
walls. The living areas are designed with the plate radiators and in
the bathroom-towel rail radiators. Natural ventilation system en-
sures the exchange of indoor air. The efficiency heat accumulation
of 97% was assumed here due to the location of the cache in the
heating system inside the thermal shield of the building. Transport
efficiency of the heating medium is 97% due to the central heating
from the local heat source located in a heated building, with
insulated wires, fittings and devices that are installed in heated
rooms. Due to the use of central and local regulations of the water
Fig. 1. The plan of the analysed building. Source: (Plan, 2016).
Table 3
External vertical walls of the building.
Type of construction material
Wall thickness [m]
Thermal resistance R [m2K/W]
Heat transfer coefficient of the wall without thermal insulation Uo [W/m2K]
heating in the building, the regulation performance and the use
was assumed to be 98%. The computational averaged internal air
temperature is 20  C. The building volume is 376.14 m3. The
building has a partly basement. The internal power of gains is
assumed to be 3.5 W/m2. The construction consists of traditional
masonry, reinforced concrete thick-ribbed ceilings, wooden stairs,
the roof of a wooden construction, metal roofing cover, with min-
eral plaster on walls to be provided. There are also window frames
with diffusers, with heat transfer coefficient for window frames
U ¼ 1.3 W/m2K, external doors with heat transfer coefficient
U ¼ 1.8 W/m2K. In order to eliminate thermal bridges on the rafters
a wooden roof with a collar beam structure is insulated with rock
wool with a thickness of 16 cm plus 5 cm.
The studies included options for: the external walls of the
building, the heating system used in the building and the type of
used thermal insulation. The climate zone in which the building is
situated was also included.
Three types of external wall structural materials were taken into
account: cellular concrete class 500, ceramic blocks MAX and sand-
lime blocks (silicate) SILKA E. Table 3 shows the parameters of the
walls.
The studies included 4 types of heat sources, with production
efficiencies: (S1) coal boiler - 82%, (S2) condensing gas boiler - 94%,
(S3) electricity boiler - 99%, (S4) heat pump - 350% (seasonal pump
efficiency coefficient SCOP ¼ 3.5).
Four types of thermal insulation materials, with different co-
efficients of thermal conductivity l were taken into consideration:
(I1) EPS polystyrene - 0.040 W/mK, (I2) mineral wool - 0.039 W/mK,
(I3) polyurethane foam PUR - 0.028 W/mK and (I4) ecofiber (pro-
duced from recycled newspapers) - 0.041 W/mK.
Cellular concrete 500 (C1) MAX (C2) SILKA E (C3)
0.36 0.29 0.24
2.118 0.659 0.453
0.430 1.154 1.514
 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887 883

Table 7
The thickness of thermal insulation d [m] depending on the type of thermal insu-
lation material and construction material of the wall.

Thermal insulat. material I1 I2 I3 I4

Construction material

C1 0.067 0.065 0.047 0.069

C2 0.125 0.122 0.088 0.128
C3 0.134 0.130 0.094 0.137

The environmental benefits resulting from the thermal insu-

lation for the presented building were set in accordance with the
methodology proposed in section 4.

6. Environmental benefits resulting from thermal insulation

of the building

Fig. 2. Map of the Polish climate zones. Source: (PN-EN 12831, 2006).
The studies included the division of Poland into 5 climate zones
(see Fig. 2).
The demand for thermal power of the building depends signif-
icantly on the zone, in which it is situated. Table 4 shows design
outdoor temperature according to PN-EN 12831 (2006) corre-
sponding to the calculation temperature of the outside air and the
average annual outdoor temperature in each of the five climatic
zones in Poland.
Data for the LCA model were gathered from different sources.
The system of the production for the analysed thermal insulation
materials (mineral wool, polystyrene and polyurethane foam) was
modelled out of the library of the ETH-ESU data included in
SimaPro software package. The production system of the ecofibre e
the cellulosic fibre e was modelled with the use of the data from
the previous LCA analysis conducted by the authors. The data of the
material-energetic flows are based on the data from Polish com-
panies producing this particular insulation material. The produc-
tion system for all the sources of heat energy in the building was
modelled out of Buwal 250 database.
Table 5 presents the results of LCA analysis Kl for 1 m3 of the
analysed thermal insulation materials in the various categories of
damage and in total. For ecofibre (I4) negative values were ob-
tained, which means reducing the burden on the environment. The
greatest damages are generated in cat. D1 from the production of

Table 4
Design outside temperature and average annual outdoor temperature.

Climatic zone Design outside temperature [ C] Average annual outdoor temperature [ C]

I 16 7,7
II 18 7,9
III 20 7,6
IV 22 6,9
V 24 5,5

Source: (PN-EN 12831, 2006).

Table 5
The results of LCA analysis in Pt/m3 for thermal insulation materials.

Thermal insulat. material Expanded polystyrene EPS (I1) Mineral wool (I2) Polyurethane PUR (I3) Ecofibre (I4)

Category of damage

(D1) Human health 0.815 2.594 5.001 0.292

(D2) Ecosystem quality 0.117 0.782 0.625 0.078
(D3) Resources 3.273 4.733 10.436 0.461
Total: 4.205 8.108 16.062 ¡0.832

Table 6
The results of LCA analysis in Pt/kWh for heat sources.

Heat source Coal boiler (S1) Condensing gas boiler (S2) Electricity boiler (S3) Heat pump (S4)

Category of damage

D1 0.007413 0.001414 0.016374 0.007113

D2 0.002900 0.000147 0.002475 0.002033
D3 0.008994 0.010714 0.029657 0.012037
Total: 0.019307 0.012275 0.048506 0.021183
884 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887

Table 8 polyurethane foam PUR (I3), in cat. D2 for mineral wool (I2) and in
Demand for thermal power of the building in [kWh/m2year]. cat. D3 again for polyurethane foam PUR. The overall result of LCA is
Climatic zone DUo DU also the worst for polyurethane foam PUR. For all examined ther-
Construction material
mal insulation materials (except ecofibre) the highest load was
obtained in category D3, which is associated with the utilization of
C1 C2 C3
large amounts of mineral resources and energy fuels for their
I 101.93 185.09 227.60 82.28 production.
II 110.72 198.46 243.58 89.93
The results of LCA Ke of obtaining 1 kWh of thermal energy for
III 115.50 207.70 253.86 93.64
IV 128.11 224.84 273.32 104.73 the considered sources of heat were also determined (see Table 6).
V 137.99 239.03 289.55 113.62 The biggest environmental burden in the production of energy for

Table 9
Ecological value of thermal insulation investment NPVE [Pt/m2].

Climatic zone / I III V

Thermal insulation material Thermal insulation material Thermal insulation material

Constr. mater. Heat source I1 I2 I3 I4 I1 I2 I3 I4 I1 I2 I3 I4

C1 S1 6.15 5.91 5.68 6.49 6.88 6.63 6.41 7.22 7.70 7.46 7.23 8.04
S2 3.81 3.57 3.34 4.15 4.27 4.03 3.80 4.61 4.79 4.55 4.32 5.13
S3 15.89 15.64 15.41 16.23 17.71 17.46 17.23 18.05 19.77 19.53 19.30 20.11
S4 6.78 6.53 6.31 7.12 7.57 7.33 7.10 7.91 8.48 8.23 8.00 8.81
C2 S1 33.15 32.68 32.26 33.78 36.83 36.37 35.95 37.46 40.55 40.09 39.66 41.18
S2 20.88 20.42 20.00 21.52 23.23 22.76 22.34 23.86 25.59 25.13 24.70 26.22
S3 84.07 83.61 83.19 84.71 93.33 92.87 92.44 93.96 102.67 102.21 101.78 103.30
S4 36.42 35.96 35.53 37.05 40.46 40.00 39.58 41.09 44.54 44.08 43.65 45.17
C3 S1 47.03 46.54 46.09 47.71 51.91 51.42 50.97 52.59 57.06 56.57 56.11 57.74
S2 29.70 29.21 28.75 30.38 32.80 32.31 31.85 33.48 36.07 35.58 35.13 36.75
S3 119.02 118.53 118.07 119.69 131.28 130.79 130.33 131.96 144.21 143.71 143.26 144.88
S4 51.66 51.17 50.71 52.34 57.01 56.52 56.07 57.69 62.66 62.17 61.71 63.34

Fig. 3. Ecological values of thermal insulation investment NPVE [Pt/m2] divided into categories of damage for the variant with a wall C1 in zone I.
 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887
heating the building was achieved for electricity boiler (S3), and the
smallest was for condensing gas boiler (S2). LCA analysis is made in
line with the Polish conditions, in respect to the production of
electricity, due to the nature of the production of this energy in the
vast majority of fossil fuels. For all heat sources concerned, the
greatest damage is in category D3, and the smallest one is in cate-
gory D2.
For further analysis, thermal insulation thickness d (see Table 7)
was chosen in this way since external walls with thermal insulation
had heat transfer coefficient U ¼ UN ¼ 0.25 W/m2K, according to the
guidelines in force in Poland (RMTCME, 2013).
With the help of CERTO program (CERTO, 2015) the demand for
thermal power of the building DUo was determined (with heat
transfer coefficient Uo) and DU (with heat transfer coefficient U ¼
UN). The results are shown in Table 8. They depend considerably on
both the construction material of the wall and the climatic zone.
In the further part the environmental benefits were determined
with help of the ecological value of investment NPVE, while using
the methodology set forth in section 4. The number of years of
thermal insulation performance was assumed to be n ¼ 25. The
calculations were made depending on the construction material of
the wall, thermal insulation material, heat source used in the
building and the climate zone. Table 9 summarizes the results for
three selected (two extreme (I and V) and the “average” - moderate
(III)) climatic zones in Poland, without the division into categories
of damage. Positive values were obtained everywhere, which
means that in each examined scenario the investment is profitable
for environmental reasons, i.e., there is a reduction in the envi-
ronmental load. The environmental benefits depend primarily on
Fig. 4. Ecological values of thermal insulation investment NPVE [Pt/m2] divided into categories of damage for the variant with a wall C3 in zone I.
885
the external wall properties without thermal insulation and heat
source used in the building and e to a much lesser extent e on the
type of thermal insulation material. Obviously, the colder the
climate zone (higher heat demand), the larger environmental
benefits resulting from thermal insulation. The smallest benefits
are for variant C1-S2 due to the fact that the wall C1 without thermal
insulation has the best (lowest) heat transfer coefficient (see
Table 3), and the best results of LCA were obtained for the heat
source S2. The production of thermal energy using S2 generates the
lowest environmental load. In contrast, the greatest environmental
benefits were obtained for variant C3-S3 because the wall C3
without thermal insulation has the worst (largest) heat transfer
coefficient and the worst result of LCA was received for the heat
source S3.
For selected variants the ecological values of investment divided
into categories of damage are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shows
the results for the variant with a wall C1 and climatic zone I, Fig. 4 e
for the variant with a wall C3 and also for the climatic zone I.
Because of the thermal insulation material, environmental benefits
are the greatest for ecofibre (I4).
A much greater impact on the environmental benefits is caused
by the type of heat source than by thermal insulation material. The
biggest benefits in each case are obtained in category D3, and the
smallest ones in category D2. Only for one variant C1-S2-I2 in zone I,
in category D2 a negative value was obtained as in this case the
payback period occurs after 26 years.
Table 10 presents the designated ecological payback periods TE,
taking into account (in a separate column) the total result of LCA
(grey column), and all three categories of damage separately for
886 R. Dylewski, J. Adamczyk / Journal of Cleaner Production 137 (2016) 878e887

Table 10
Ecological payback periods of thermal insulation investment TE [years].

Climatic zone / I III V

Thermal insulation material Thermal insulation material Thermal insulation material

Constr mater. Heat source I1 I2 I3 I1 I2 I3 I1 I2 I3

C1 S1 2 1,1,2 3 2,2,3 3 4,1,5 1 1,1,2 2 2,2,3 3 4,1,4 1 1,1,2 2 2,2,3 3 2,1,4

S2 2 4,5,2 4 9,26,3 5 13,15,4 2 4,5,2 3 9,24,2 5 12,14,4 2 4,5,2 3 8,21,2 4 11,12,3
S3 1 1,1,1 1 1,2,1 2 2,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,2,1 2 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,2,1 1 1,1,1
S4 1 1,1,2 2 2,2,2 3 3,2,4 1 1,1,2 2 2,2,2 3 3,1,3 1 1,1,2 2 2,2,2 3 2,1,3
C2 S1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 2 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,2
S2 1 2,2,1 2 4,10,1 2 5,6,2 1 1,2,1 2 3,9,1 2 5,5,2 1 1,2,1 1 3,8,1 2 4,5,2
S3 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1
S4 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1
C3 S1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,2 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1
S2 1 1,2,1 1 3,8,1 2 4,5,1 1 1,1,1 1 3,7,1 2 4,4,1 1 1,1,1 1 2,6,1 2 3,4,1
S3 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1
S4 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1 1 1,1,1

each category D1, D2 and D3. The variants with ecofibre (I4) as a
thermal insulation material were omitted, because in this case
everywhere TE ¼ 0. In most cases, the ecological payback period
occurs already after one year. In the worst case, it occurs after five
years, with variants S2-I2 and S2-I3. At the same time, when taking
into account the single category of damage, in category D1 it may
even be 13 years (C1-S2-I3), in category D2 - 26 years (C1-S2-I2), and
in category D3, at most five years. So, having in mind the environ-
mental benefits, the worst combination is the use of mineral wool
thermal insulation (I2) or polyurethane foam PUR (I3), when used as
a heat source of condensing gas boiler (S2).
When analysing the results of payback periods (Table 10) it can
be noted that the payback period for total result of LCA for a ther-
mal insulation investment (grey column) is not an average value of
each category of damage (D1, D2, D3). In some cases it significantly
differs from the values of payback periods for different categories of
damage (e.g. variant C1-S2-I2) in each of the three considered
climate zones. The last section presents the most important con-
clusions resulting from the conducted research.
7. Conclusions
recycling.
Taking into the account three particular categories of damage,
the greatest environmental benefits are achieved in category D3 -
Resources, and then D1 - Human health. The smallest benefits are in
category D2 - Ecosystem quality. In this category for one variant a
negative value was obtained, that is, the increase in the load on the
environment as a result of the investment.
On the basis of the method proposed in the paper to assess
environmental benefits of thermal insulation investments and the
conducted analyses, it can be recommended which variant of
thermal insulation will be optimal ecologically, bearing in mind not
only the combined benefits or costs (total score of LCA analysis), but
also different categories of damage. The proposed method, which
includes a thorough ecological assessment of thermal moderniza-
tion investments, may significantly contribute to the realization of
the established pro-effective goals both in present and in future
since it provides a complex set of information dedicated to the
people interested in the influence on the whole lifecycle of the
building. This method could become the new element of the con-
struction law, particularly within the aspect of the development of
the sustainable construction.

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