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Development of a cost benefit analysis methodology for evaluating the mitigation potential of environmental impacts due to summer comfort: the case of fixed room air conditioners in metropolitan France.

Développement d’une méthodologie d’analyse coût-bénéfice en vue d’évaluer le potentiel de réduction des impacts environnementaux liés au confort d’été : cas des climatiseurs individuels fixes en France métropolitaine.

Author(s) : GRIGNON-MASSÉ L.

Type of monograph: Doctoral thesis

Summary

The development of individual air conditioning is a growing concern for French authorities. In this context, this doctoral thesis aims at carrying out a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in order to evaluate solutions that allow to reconcile summer comfort improvement and environmental impact reduction. After clarifying the concept of indoor summer comfort, methods are developed for monetizing discomfort and externalities. These costs must be taken into account for the economical evaluation of summer comfort improvement actions. The potential of actions related to the building envelope are then quantified in terms of cooling needs reduction (conditioned rooms) and summer comfort improvement (non air-conditioned rooms). If efficient strategies to reduce discomfort are identified, it also appears that building thermal renovations, realized in order to decrease heating needs, can significantly impair summer comfort. Then, the potential for improving the environmental performance of air conditioners is assessed, which requires the development of a method for evaluating their seasonal energy efficiency. A life cycle analysis is performed and shows that the environmental impact mitigation requires a focus on the reduction of electric consumptions and, to a lesser extent, on the life cycle of working fluids. Finally, a CBA of summer comfort improvement actions is carried out and completed by a forecasting study on future environmental impacts due to room air conditioning in the French building stock. The total conditioned area could increase by 650% by 2030, most of which being constituted by the residential sector (90%). Nevertheless, demand side management measures, associated to the recovery of working fluids, can significantly reduce generated impacts.

Details

  • Original title: Développement d’une méthodologie d’analyse coût-bénéfice en vue d’évaluer le potentiel de réduction des impacts environnementaux liés au confort d’été : cas des climatiseurs individuels fixes en France métropolitaine.
  • Record ID : 30001377
  • Languages: French
  • Subject: Environment, General information
  • Publication: Mines ParisTech, Centre Energétique et Procédés - France/France
  • Publication date: 2010/05/20

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