Comprehensive carbon cost of building projects: Optimization and relationship

Abstract

Balancing carbon emissions with economic costs poses a vital challenge in net-zero carbon buildings. However, due to the single application of carbon cost theories, it is difficult to address this question fully. Therefore, this study proposes a new concept of comprehensive carbon cost (CCC) for construction projects by combining the carbon damage cost (CDC), carbon abatement cost (CAC), and carbon policy cost (CPC). Using an improved material flow cost accounting (MFCA) framework, this study develops a CCC calculation model and take the change of life cycle CCC as the objective function for solution selection. A public building is selected as a case study for statistical analysis to validate the proposed model. In this case, the heat transfer coefficient (U-value) of building envelopes can achieve the CCC optimization through a quadratic function within a reasonable range, while undue U-value may lead to an exponential increase in CCC. In addition, this result explains the interrelationship between carbon costs, pointing out that low-carbon measures can reduce all carbon costs in most situations, while various carbon costs show a negative correlation on the Pareto optimal front. This research thus optimizes carbon costs and elucidates their interactions, guiding low-carbon building design.