Low-Energy Building Feasibility Analysis - A Business Case

This paper compares the feasibility of constructing a building using standard technology (materials and systems) and building by applying the low energy building principles. On the one hand, the construction sector is one of the largest environmental polluters and on the other hand, it is experiencing growth so there is a need for low energy construction to reduce the adverse environmental impacts. In this paper, two building types for the same building have been analyzed. The first type is insulated according to the minimum technical requirements under the conditions of the current regulation. Natural gas is used as a heating energy source and cooling is done via an air conditioner (electricity). For the second type, building materials and heating / cooling system were changed. For both building types construction costs and annual energy consumption were calculated. Based on the investment costs and the planned realized revenues, an economic and financial analysis was made as a basis for the evaluation of the investment project. The estimate shows that despite of the higher initial costs by using low energy building principles, significant savings are achieved in total energy consumption at the stage of building use, for an investor but also for the end-user.