Comparative Study of Consumption and Life-Cycle Impacts of Water Heating Systems for Residential Multi-familiar Buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Civil construction, as an integral part of the chain of industrial activities, is one of the various segments responsible for energy consumption and potential greenhouse gas emissions throughout its life cycle. The building materials and their systems have a direct influence on energy consumption and impact assessment. In this context, Hot Water Building Systems (HWBS) are included. The type of installation to be used in a building is defined by technical and/or economic requirements. However, the spectrum of possibilities should consider resource consumption and generation of environmental impacts throughout the life cycle. This research proposes a novel application of an environmental management method to empower the decision-making process of HWBS, insights a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to compare the environmental performance of two distinct HWBS (i.e. Natural Gas Heating System and Solar Heating System) for multi-family residential developments. In conclusion to the results obtained, it can be inferred that the HWBS with heating via SHS has better environmental performance than the system with heating via Natural Gas, even though the first one uses an electrical complement for operation appropriate.