Ocena efektów środowiskowych termomodernizacji na przykładzie budynku jednorodzinnego

Global warming is one of the major problems to be solved by international society. The inappropriate way of natural resources exploitation resulted in 50% increase of carbon dioxide equivalent concentration in the atmosphere. The introduction of sustainable development idea in the Brundtland report was the beginning of change in natural resources use perception. Also new agreements were introduced. Poland is one of the countries, which signed the Kyoto Protocol, and as the member of European Union, we are obliged to reduce amounts of CO2 emission to the atmosphere. Building construction industry is one of branches with great potential of reduction of CO2 emissions. Most of the environmental costs related to buildings is connected with its operational phase. It is assumed that there is about 7,3 mln of detached houses in Poland, and only 0,5 mln of them are new ones with good insulation parameters. Buildings which do not correspond with the requirements, have to be thermomodernized. This paper presents the results of economic and environmental analysis of detached house before and after thermal insulation of external walls. The elements of LCA methodology were used to establish the amounts of CO2 emitted during the production of insulation materials and during production of heat. These amounts were analyzed to establish the payback time for environmental costs of thermomodernization. This time was set up as shorter than one heating season.