Conference Papers

Awatans Tripathi, Rajan Rawal
Abstract:

This study presents a comparative analysis of carbon emissions and thermal comfort in an Indian affordable housing project, employing two envelope materials: EPS core technology and brick-andmortar construction. The study quantifies embodied and operational emissions through life cycle analysis to establish an emissions thermal comfort trade-off. Focused on the Bureau

of Energy Efficiency design under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana 2022 scheme in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the study addresses the pressing need to track carbon emissions in this sector. Buildings contribute 39% of energy-related carbon emissions, gaining significance due to urbanisation and affordable housing projects. The study highlights a significant 10.16% reduction in operational carbon for EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) core technology compared to a brick wall assembly construction, driven by its superior thermal performance. But this comes at a cost of a much higher embodied carbon value. Despite higher embodied carbon, EPS achieves heightened comfort with fewer operational emissions over 50 years. Findings underscore the relationship between environmental impact, comfort congruence, and emissions. Results hold location-specific importance for informed decisions in diverse urban contexts across India. 

Keyword: Carbon emissions, thermal comfort, life cycle analysis, embodied carbon, discomfort hours
Presented at: Comfort At The Extremes (CATE) 2023, Ahmedabad, India

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