The relationship between house size and life cycle energy demand: Implications for energy efficiency regulations for buildings

Results show that the life cycle energy demand increases at a slower rate compared to house size. Expressing energy efficiency per m2 therefore favours large houses while these require more energy. Also, embodied energy represents 26-50% across all variations. Building energy efficiency regulations should incorporate embodied energy, correct energy intensity thresholds for house size and use multiple functional units to measure efficiency. These measures may help achieve greater net energy reductions.