Eureka! Institutional Repository

The ongoing Industrial Revolution requires an increasing energy consumption, causing constant pressure to maintain equivalent production. From 1970 to 2004 the global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 70 percent (70%), leading to the conclusion that in the coming decades, the world will experience potentially dangerous climate changes, which will have a significant impact on nearly every aspect of our environment, economies and societies. In this context, taking into account the continued growth of city populations worldwide, the analysis and utilization of Building Energy Management Systems are considered imperative. The construction industry is considered as the largest consumer of resources. In European Union, building construction consumes 40% of materials and primary energy, while producing 40% of waste annually. This makes it absolutely necessary to be developed methods to reduce the carbon footprint of construction by using alternative building materials, design improvements, recycling construction waste and promoting the use of alternative water resources. The increasing use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can evince the environmental and economic impacts of carbon emissions during the life of buildings, from the acquisition of the raw materials of construction to the end of their use. Although the concept of buildings LCA has been used for a long time, its implementation still has flaws. Building assessment is a complex process due to the huge number of data that need to be calculated. Despite standardization efforts the use of different operating rules makes it difficult to compare results from different LCAs. A large number of buildings in Greece and generally in Europe are old and do not meet current construction standards, with many of them needed to be renovated or demolished in the near future. LCAs can play an important role in determining decision-making about the future of these buildings. Despite efforts to address the impacts of embedded carbon, challenges remain. Lack of comprehensive data, limited cost information, and insufficient information and understanding are barriers to be overcome. Only by recognizing the consequences of embodied carbon emissions and that for reducing them a collective effort is needed, the mitigation of climate change can be feasible, in order to ensure a healthier planet for the current and future generations