Assessing incremental cost-efficiency of eco-footprint saving measures for school buildings: The case of the Inner Mongolia region in China

Reducing energy and resource consumption as well as emissions by building projects are important goals in sustainable development of modern society. In this article, a method based on the concept of life-cycle ecological footprint is proposed to assess the efficiency of the incremental cost brought about by eco-footprint saving measures taken in building projects. This method is then utilized to provide guidelines for school building decision makers to select design plans with higher ecological and financial efficiency. In this method, a set of eco-footprint models is developed to compute the efficiency of incremental cost. Two indices are presented and adopted for assessing the life-cycle incremental cost-efficiency of eco-footprint-saving measures: the life-cycle eco-efficiency index and financial efficiency index for per unit incremental cost. The procedure for applying this method to assessing projects aimed at improving the efficiency of building energy consumption is also introduced. A case study of a school building in China is used to demonstrate the features of this method and the advantages of adopting the method. The results show that this method helps to identify inefficient design plans and provide an effective tool for decision making.