Energy impact analysis of building construction as applied to South Africa

Abstract

Basic embodied-energy intensities of building construction materials/systems by various units and building types are shown to produce conflicting results and are not directly applicable at a national policy-intervention level. Using building construction and the allied sectors in South Africa, this paper demonstrates the extension of basic energy intensities derived through an improved input-output (I-O) method into a sectoral energy conservation framework. The framework is based on sectoral total embodiment energy impact coefficients derived through the multiplication of the total-embodiment energy intensity coefficients with the use-intensity coefficients. A ranking of building construction and the allied sectors in South Africa according to their energy impact coefficients is used to formulate a priority listing of critical sectors for energy conservation measures. The framework is used also to identify generic conservation measures for further investigation and evaluation.