To reduce the CO₂ emissions associated with the energy needed to heat and/or cool houses, the Building Code of Australia requires that new houses meet a minimum level of thermal performance. A star rating system is used to indicate the level of thermal performance a house achieves. Ratings range from 0 to 10 stars. Currently, all states and territories in Australia require a minimum 5- or 6-star performance; however, this is likely to be increased incrementally in the next decade. Increasing a house's thermal performance generally increases its embodied emissions. However, this is rarely considered when assessing the cost effectiveness (in saving CO₂ emissions) of thermal performance measures. This article examines the cost effectiveness of incremental thermal performance improvements, taking into account their embodied emissions. The results show that the cost effectiveness of achieving a certain level of thermal performance varies significantly depending on the methods and materials used.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	cost effectiveness, CO2-e reduction, thermal performance
Research Division:	Built Environment and Design
Research Group:	Architecture
Research Field:	Architectural science and technology
Objective Division:	Construction
Objective Group:	Environmentally sustainable construction activities
Objective Field:	Environmentally sustainable construction activities not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	McLeod, PM (Mr Philip McLeod)
UTAS Author:	Fay, MR (Professor Roger Fay)
ID Code:	97680
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	11
Deposited By:	Architecture
Deposited On:	2015-01-08
Last Modified:	2017-11-13
Downloads:	0