75. Comparative Study of Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources for HVAC Systems

In this chapter, the life cycle aspects and environmental impact of substituting various renewable and non-renewable energy sources are analysed for several heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and several case studies are considered. For the case of conventional energy sources, it is found that substitution of natural gas for other conventional energy sources can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. For the case of biomass, biogas is found to be the most effective type of biomass for reducing CO₂ emissions. The case studies demonstrate that building design and insulation significantly affect HVAC energy consumption. The results are significant because HVAC is the major source of energy consumption in most residential and other buildings.