EMBODIED ENERGY & CARBON: ENSURING A LOW-

CARBON FUTURE IN HOUSESBY JOHN MA (K1021816)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Literature Review and Case Studies

Proposed Methodology

Progression of Collection and Analysis of Data

Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations

Reference List

INTRODUCTION

The Dissertation is on the topic of Embodied Energy (EE), Embodied Carbon (EC) and Carbon Emissions

The focus of EE, EC and Carbon Emissions is within houses in the UK

Investigates how EE, EC and Carbon Emissions contributed to houses can be reduced

Aim is to provide a method of calculation for EC and recommended to Government’s Green Book

WHAT IS EMBODIED ENERGY (EE) ?Figure 4: Graph depicting the Embodied Energy (GJ) of various materials in 2 formats:

Typical dwelling and Tonne of material (Australian Government, 2001)

PLANS FOR CARBON EMISSION REDUCTIONS

UK Gov. set targets to achieve reduction in CO2 of up to 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050 (DECC, 2008)

New legislations proposals established to new buildings to be either low or zero carbon (DCLG, 2007)

Zero or low carbon standards implemented in the current standards of Building Regulations 2002 & 2006.

Reduction in CO2 due to amount UK emitted in 2005 – 550 million tonnes and Kyoto Protocol (DECC, 2008)

Nearly half of UK’s CO2 emissions reside in energy usage & maintenance in commercial & residential lots (DCLG,

2007a)

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Literature Review covered 5 topics relative to the research for the dissertation:

1. What are sustainable materials and technology?

2. The U.K’s Legislations and Building Regulations

3. Reduction in the whole-life carbon footprint in buildings

4. Problems that restrict the planning and constructing of low carbon domestic buildings

5. Comparison of high- and low-density residential areas

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE REVIEW

New sustainable materials are emerging in the industry – benefits to all

Changes to Part L of Building Regulations have proven to reduce carbon emissions

Greatest impact now in CO2 emissions & EE is on manufacturing process of a building (BIS. 2012) & (RICS. 2012)

Industry & Government should agree on a method to measure embodied carbon for use as a design tool (HM

Government. 2012)

Roughly 100k new homes built annually Vs. the 25 million existing homes in UK

CASE STUDIES

Two case studies were reviewed, relevant to the literature review:

1. Life-Cycle Energy Use in Office Buildings. By Raymond J.Cole and Paul C. Kernan

2. Comparison of High- and Low-density residential areas. By Norman. J, Maclean. H. L and Kennedy. C. A. 2006

LIFE-CYCLE ENERGY USE IN OFFICE BUILDINGS

Evaluation of a typical three-storey office building with underground parking. EE used as method of measurement.

Initial EE values showed that ¾ comprised of the services, envelope and structure of the building.

Significant increase in recurring EE over the building’s life-cycle.

Initial investment does not always mean a sustainable future – recurring EE vital to consider

LIFE-CYCLE ENERGY USE IN OFFICE BUILDINGS

Figure 5: Pie chart of initial embodied energy of average

values the building components; Concrete, Steel and Wood

(Cole and Kernan, 1996)

Figure 6: The Comparison of Initial to Recurring Embodied Energy for Wood Structure

Building over a 100-Year Lifespan (Cole and Kernan, 1996)

COMPARISON OF HIGH- AND LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AREAS

GHG emissions and energy usage from 3 main factors: Transport, Materials and Building Operations

Building Operations contribute the most to GHG emissions and energy usage in both areas

Functional Units: per capita (per person) and per unit of living space made a significant difference

Findings has opened new potential areas of study. E.g. substitutes for materials with high EE

COMPARISON OF HIGH- AND LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Figure 7: Case study areas of the investigation (Norman. J,

Maclean. H. L and Kennedy. C. A. 2006)

Figure 8: Pictures of the high- and low-density case studies

(Norman. J, Maclean. H. L and Kennedy. C. A. 2006)Figure 9: Overall totals of GHG emissions and Energy use for low- and high- density developments (Norman. J, Maclean. H. L and Kennedy. C.A. 2006)

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY

1. Test method / methods of calculation for EC to analysis and compare results

2. Maintain progressive research of literature review to compare future results

3. Keep up to date with changes in Legislation and Building Regulations

4. Attend the 2013 Eco-Build the Future at ExCeL London.

PROGRESSION OF RESEARCH

Method of calculation for EE – Phlorum Embodied CO2 Estimator (Phlorum, 2011)

Operational and embodied carbon in new build housing - a reappraisal (revised April 2012)

RICS draft information paper

Progress on carbon target reductions from Eco-Build Event

Carbon reductions aims by year 2050 seen to be ‘ambitious’

Critical to decarbonise the grid

Structural incentives towards NPPF, Green Deal and Code for Sustainable Homes

Need for further progressive step ups to Building Regulations and Legislations

LIMITATIONS TO RESEARCH

Difficult to search for a current method of calculation for EE

Potential complications in comparing multiple methods of calculation for EE

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Phlorum Embodied CO2 Estimator great design tool for all bodies in construction industry to use

Vital to factor in recurring EE & EC in new methods of calculation for EC

More methods of calculation for EC will be developed from further research within the Industry and Government

Government target reductions on CO2 is still possible, however there consist plenty of obstacles to overcome

AND FINALLY…

REFERENCE LIST

Brian Edwards, 2009. Rough Guide to Sustainability. 3rd Revised Edition. RIBA Enterprises.

DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change), 2008. UK leads world with commitment to cut emissions by 80% By 2050 Press Notice ref 2008/3, 16th October 2008 (DECC, London).

Soy Polymers and Sustainability | A Sustainable and Natural Binder | DuPont Soy Polymers. 2013. Soy Polymers and Sustainability | A Sustainable and Natural Binder | DuPont Soy Polymers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www2.dupont.com/Solae/en_US/sustainability/overview.html. [Accessed 09 March 2013].

Carbon Visuals: Early images. 2013. Carbon Visuals: Early images. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.carbonvisuals.com/work/early-images. [Accessed 09 March 2013].

Global Emissions | Climate Change | US EPA. 2013. Global Emissions | Climate Change | US EPA. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html. [Accessed 09 March 2013].

DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government), 2007a. Building a greener future: policy statement. The Stationery Office, London.

Embodied CO2 Estimator. 2013. Embodied CO2 Estimator. [ONLINE] Available at: http://eco2.phlorum.com/calculator/save. [Accessed 14 March 2013].