Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the LCC of apartment complexes with district heating and a cogeneration system. For the purpose of analyzing LCC according to the size of the apartment complex, 500, 1,500, and 4,000-unit model apartments were selected. Analysis was performed on the design of the heating system and the life cycle cost including total construction cost, maintenance and operation cost for the duration of the project period (15 years). According to the calculated results, 1) The initial cost of the cogeneration system for 500, 1,500, and 4,000-unit apartments is higher than that of the district heating system by 20%, 13%, and 12%, respectively. 2) In the case of the cogeneration system, the payback period by electric generation was found to be 5.21, 4.92 and 4.47 years, and saving cost was calculated to be 29 billion won, 94 billion won and 262 billion won after the payback period for 500, 1,500, and 4,000-unit apartments, respectively. 3) The LCC values of the cogeneration system were 1.12, 1.07 and 1.06 times larger than those of the district system according to the size of the apartment complex. In this study, the district heating system was found to be more efficient than the cogeneration system in terms of LCC reduction. 4) District heating is affected by fuel bills, so energy efficiency should be improved through recovering waste heat (incineration heat, etc.). Also, district cooling should be provided according to heat use to keep the temperature high in winter and low in summer.