Abstract
Life cycle carbon emissions (LCO2), made up of operational and embodied carbon, have become a major metric of building environmental performance and energy efficiency. Whilst there are now standard methods for operational carbon assessment due to its significance in LCO2, there is still less emphasis on embodied carbon counting. However, the relative contribution of embodied carbon is on the rise as buildings become increasingly energy efficient. Following the rule that only something which is measurable is manageable, it is essential that we are able to accurately count embodied carbon. This study therefore reviews the concept of LCO2 in buildings and further investigates the open source UK tools for embodied carbon counting. A comparative evaluation case study, which validates an earlier review, showed that there is no logic and consistency in the carbon figures produced by embodied carbon counting tools. This is mainly due to different system boundaries, varying underlying assumptions and methodological differences in calculation. The findings suggest that an industry-agreed data structure and common methodology is needed for embodied carbon counting. Generally, the study provides insights into the use and capabilities of the identified open source UK embodied carbon counting tools, and is relevant to the on-going debate about carbon regulation.
Highlights
Climate change is one of the greatest environmental threats facing our civilization today the world over (Khalfan, 2006; Dias et al, 2007; Dimoudi and Tompa, 2008; Ürge-Vorsatz and Novikova, 2008; Kenny, Law and Pearce, 2010; Sayigh, 2014)
The aim of this study is to review the concept of life cycle carbon emissions in buildings, the available carbon estimation tools and to further investigate some identified open source UK tools for embodied carbon counting
The aim of this study is to review the concept of life cycle carbon emissions in buildings, the available carbon estimation tools and to further investigate some identified open source UK tools for embodied carbon counting using secondary data source which involve information from the theoretical framework
Summary
Climate change is one of the greatest environmental threats facing our civilization today the world over (Khalfan, 2006; Dias et al, 2007; Dimoudi and Tompa, 2008; Ürge-Vorsatz and Novikova, 2008; Kenny, Law and Pearce, 2010; Sayigh, 2014). Given that 86% of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) causing climate change are carbon (CO2) related, a carbon equivalent (CO2e) has been developed for the remaining 14% composed of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and refrigerant gases to enhance uniformity of measurement (DECC, DEFRA and DfT, 2008; Ekundayo et al, 2011; RICS, 2012; Du et al, 2019). In the UK, carbon related to buildings amounts to around 47% of all greenhouse gas emissions (BIS, 2010). The introduction of the Climate Change Act 2008 resulted in a legal obligation in the UK to reduce carbon and several initiatives have been put in place to achieve this (Sturgis and Roberts, 2010; Monahan and Powell, 2011). According to DECC, DEFRA and DfT (2008) and BIS (2010), about 30 per cent reduction must be achieved by 2020 and at least 80 per cent by 2050 in relation to the 1990 baseline. The need to fulfil this commitment of reducing carbon in the built environment is changing industry’s behaviour towards carbon accountability and increasing the awareness of carbon counting
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