Evaluating Life-Cycle Energy Costs of Heritage Buildings

Abstract

After the sustainability of heritage buildings (HBs) has been evaluated and it is determined that rehabilitation is needed, then the life-cycle cost (LCC) of energy for HBs can be analyzed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the LCC of energy for HBs and develop a comprehensive life-cycle model that will aid in expenditure planning and budget allocation. This study was validated through the weighted sums method and two case studies—Murabba Palace (MP), Saudi Arabia; and Grey Nuns Building (GN), Canada—were evaluated. For any HB, the project life cycle includes planning, manufacturing, transportation, construction, operation, and maintenance phases. Saudi Arabian and Canadian experts completed questionnaires to attribute a percentage of importance of each of the aforementioned phases with respect to energy consumption. The findings from this study will enable facility managers to make effective rehabilitation decisions. The operation phase has the highest impact on the energy consumption, gas consumption, and cost of the building in both case studies. Moreover, the findings from this study can be used to establish cost-effective intervention strategies. Their responses were employed in the development of a life-cycle model. Excel® and Minitab® were used to calculate Cronbach’s alpha values for data reliability, and the project LCC of energy for the two case studies was studied. The operation phase appeared to be the most energy-consuming phase in both case studies, contributing the most to the cost of the building.