Life cycle carbon emissions and comparative evaluation of selected open source UK embodied carbon counting tools
Journal article
Damilola Ekundayo, Solomon Olusola Babatunde, Aisha Ekundayo, Srinath Perera and Chika Udeaja (2019). Life cycle carbon emissions and comparative evaluation of selected open source UK embodied carbon counting tools. Construction Economics and Building. 19 (2), pp. 220-242. https://doi.org/10.5130/ajceb.v19i2.6692
Authors | Damilola Ekundayo, Solomon Olusola Babatunde, Aisha Ekundayo, Srinath Perera and Chika Udeaja |
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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. |
Keywords | carbon counting tools, embodied carbon, life cycle carbon emissions, operational carbon, system boundaries, UK |
Year | 2019 |
Journal | Construction Economics and Building |
Journal citation | 19 (2), pp. 220-242 |
Publisher | UTS ePress |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.5130/ajceb.v19i2.6692 |
Web address (URL) | https://doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v19i2.6692 |
Publication dates | |
21 Nov 2019 | |
21 Nov 2019 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 2019 |
Deposited | 12 Oct 2020 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
https://openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk/item/8qx42
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