A digital embodied carbon calculator has been produced by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
This calculator has been designed to allow engineers to estimate the embodied carbon associated with mechanical, electrical and public health systems in buildings.
The CIBSE Technical Memorandum 65 was published last year to allow the embodied carbon of building services equipment to be calculated when no environmental product declaration (EPD) is available. This carbon calculator will be able to support consultants, researchers and manufacturers to implement the CIBSE standard. TM65 Embodied carbon in building services: a calculation methodology, by performing the calculations set out in the document.
Due to the intricacy of building services products and there supply chains, very few building services equipment manufacturers offer them. EPD’s are the standardised way of providing the embodied carbon and other environmental impacts of a product.
When using the digital embodied carbon calculator tool the manufacturer must complete the a form to describe the materials used in the product. CIBS says that using the data from the manufacturer’s form a user is able to complete a basic embodied carbon calculation when limited information is available, or a more vigorous mid-level calculation – Once contact details are added by the user with completed consent to publication details the result may be used as a self-assessed value for the embodied carbon of the product.
Carl Collins, CIBSE head of digital engineering said: “With the building services sector moving towards achieving net zero carbon, the importance of embodied carbon in the selection of building services products and systems is becoming even more important. The TM65 digital tool is there to fill the gaps where an EPD is not available”.