Are your construction projects costing the Earth?

James Fiske

Why reduce carbon in construction?

Min 80% reduction of GHG emissions by 2050 (34% 2020)

CRC energy efficiency scheme – the first carbon tax

Zero carbon buildings by 2019 (homes by 2016)

Whole-life carbon appraisals set to be in the Green Book

CEN 350 including EPDs

In the UK…

In Hong Kong….

45% carbon intensity reduction

Admin building of 765m2 emits over 1,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a 30 year life

In addition, 675 tonnes are embodied from its original construction, and 165 tonnes from maintenance and replacement of its components

Why reduce carbon in construction?

How do you measure carbon?

Operational ‘direct’ and embodied ‘indirect’

Operational is calculated by the amount of energy used

Embodied is a little harder:

Quantify the materials

Quantify the weights

Emission data available from the likes of Bath University

Plant

Transportation

Labour

Environmental

Soci

al

EconomicThis is increasingly required at a time when we need to be saving money, not spending more of it

Currently three different teams measure carbon, cost and social impacts

Inefficient

Inconsistent

Expensive!!

The problem

How do we do it?

We link carbon estimating into the cost estimating process

To do this you need to do some conversions:

Carbon calculated by material types and respective weights

Costs measured by product

Published results

How do we do it - CapIT

CapIT is an on-line Capital cost and CO2 estimating system

Available to the industry

Includes data from price books

Allows users to view and change build-ups from library

Allows users to add their own data

Launched jointly with the Institution of Civil Engineers

But what about the future?

What you construct now you will be subjected to

Focusing on just the initial is short-sighted (1:5:200)

Save over 35% of the life-time costs and carbon

Increasing costs, energy prices, availability of resources

By looking over the life you begin to consider ‘maintainability’

Understand what you need and when you need it by

Understand waste and plan reuse

The Problem

Confusion on terminologies (LCC, WLC, TLC etc)

Inconsistent methodologies

Lack of robust data

CO2 calculations are conducted independently

What is the difference between LCC and WLC?

• A) They are the same

• B) LCC includes maintenance, WLC includes operational

• C) LCC is for a component, WLC is for the whole project

• D) WLC additionally quantifies recycling at end of life

• E) None of the above

The Problem

Answer(Defined by BS ISO 15686-5)

Whole Life Cost (WLC)

Non-Construction Costs

Life Cycle Cost(LCC)

Income Externalities

Construction End of LifeOccupancyOperationMaintenance

How do we do it

Initial Cost

Life Cycle Cost

Capital

Energy InspectionsCleaning

RedecorationsOccupancy

Asset Replacement Reactive maintenance

Planned maintenance

• Internet-based system and database

• Capital cost and life cycle cost

• Embodied and operational CO2

• Can calculate more measures when data is available

• Models activities of maintenance at detailed levels to improve accuracy and auditability

• Plots the impact of transport

• Quickly identifies cost and carbon impacts for design changes

How do we do it - LifeCYCLE

View the many reports available for cost, carbon, resource requirements and waste

How do we do it – LifeCYCLE

Case Study

LifeCYCLE used on many projects

New Build: School

Over 35% cost and carbon reductions

Existing: University of Glasgow

Over £10m of savings identified in just a 20 year period

Saving 350,000 tonnes of CO2

Summary

Your construction projects are probably costing the earth

You can minimise this impact by looking over the life

You can save money by picking better specifications

You can design projects to be more maintainable

You can understand what you need and when by

You can minimise waste

You can do it all at the same time!

www.eru.mottmac.com

Thank you for your time