Life cycle assessment of a semi-indirect ceramic evaporative cooler vs. a heat pump in two climate areas of Spain

The aim of this study is to compare the environmental profile of a semi-indirect ceramic evaporative cooler (SIEC) with low environmental impact and heat pipe (HP) heat-exchanger battery with that of a Split class heat pump. The comparison is carried out for two different climate areas in Spain, one a continental or inland climate (Valladolid) and the other representative of a Western European climate (Bilbao). The environmental and economic study is conducted using life cycle assessment (LCA) with two software tools provided by SimaPro® 7.1 LCA suite ( Eco-indicator‘99 ® and EPS 2000 ®). After the LCA sensitivity analysis results it can be clearly inferred that the major contribution to the categories of damage in both facilities (SIEC and heat pump) is the class of abiotic resources, followed by human health. The high contribution to environmental impact of the evaporative condenser, part of the SIEC-HP, should also be emphasized. With regard to the heat pump, electricity proves to be the main environmental burden, followed by the pump infrastructure, in which the compressor, the external battery, the external fan and the connection have the highest impacts, respectively. The ceramic evaporative cooler SIEC-HP is both environmentally and economically more profitable than the heat pump in the region of Castilla y León (Valladolid), whereas in humid coastal areas it proves less useful due to the higher operating costs associated to this equipment. Finally, the electricity savings expressed in CO 2 emissions are compared. In the inland or dry area of Spain, the ceramic evaporative cooler is the most suitable option, whilst the heat pump proves more appropriate for cities with a humid climate such as those in the Basque Country (Bilbao).