Embodied Energy and Operational Energy Assessment in the Framework of Nearly Zero Energy Building and Building Energy Rating

The latest energy standards pertaining to buildings mainly focus on the reduction of Operational Energy (OE). The adoption of highly efficient energy production systems as well as of high performance materials is being encouraged more and more in order to achieve the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings target. Several studies have pointed-out that an increasing amount of materials are required in building construction. Their Embodied Energy (EE) can be assumed significant from a life-cycle perspective and in a NZEB approach. The present paper focuses on the assessment of the mutual impact of OE and EE on two residential buildings assumed as case studies.