Comparative Analysis of Life-Cycle Assessment Tools (LCA) Using the Example of Different Energy Supply Variants of a Purpose-Built Building
Abstract
Using a newly planned building as example, the results of three life cycle assessment (LCA) tools, which use different databases, were in this paper compared. The first research question in this paper was which energy concept can be used to achieve the lowest environmental impact depending of the used LCA tool within the lifecycle of the building. The second research question of the paper is which tool is most practical for the life cycle assessment of new office and administrative buildings. The evaluated LCA tools were eLCA, SBS, LEGEP and LEGEP precheck, which are using different databases (OEKOBAUDAT 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016). Corresponding to the same assessment basis, the resulting degree of fulfilment values using Ökobaudat 2015 or 2016 are significantly higher than those using Ökobaudat 2011 or 2013. Both the emission related environmental impact and the energy demand are significantly higher for the final results than for the preliminary results obtained in the pre-planning phase.