Scottish City Region and Growth Deals: carbon management guidance for projects and programmes

Appendix D: Example Project Carbon Benefits Realisation Outputs

Embodied Carbon

Definition

Embodied carbon includes emissions caused by extraction, manufacture/ processing, transportation and assembly of every product and element in an asset.

In some cases, depending on the boundary of an assessment, it may also include the maintenance, replacement, deconstruction, disposal and end-of-life aspects of the materials and systems that make up the asset. Suitably authoritative carbon factor sources should be used in embodied carbon calculations, e.g. ICE Carbon Inventory, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), CESSM4, etc.

Evidence

The level of evidence detail will depend on the phase of the project. At concept stage an estimate based on major project elements (e.g. steel, concrete, floor area, etc) will suffice. As a bill of quantities develops, so will the embodied carbon estimate. Evidence will be in the form of a simple calculation with clear workings and assumptions that should be broadly as accurate as the associated cost estimate.

Minimisation of Embodied Carbon

Definition

A description of the techniques used to arrive at the embodied carbon figure.

Evidence

Evidence could include referring to the carbon management process used (e.g. PAS 2080, RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment, BREEAM, etc) and associated procurement mechanisms to minimise carbon. Evidence could also include the use of low carbon materials or construction techniques with associated estimated carbon savings. Circular economy contributions, including waste minimisation and materials re-use, should be included here.

Annual Operation Carbon

Definition

Operational carbon emissions result from the operation of a built asset. This includes carbon emissions associated with heating, hot water, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems, as well as those associated with cooking, equipment, and lifts (i.e. both regulated and unregulated energy uses).

Evidence

Predicted or actual data should be provided in relation to energy use, using best practice carbon conversion factors, e.g. the BEIS Greenhouse Gas Reporting factors or local equivalents where relevant.

Minimisation of Operational Carbon

Definition

A description of the techniques used to arrive at the operational carbon figure.

Evidence

Evidence could include referring to the carbon management process used (e.g. PAS 2080, RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment, BREEAM, , etc). Evidence could also include the use of renewable energy technologies or low carbon heating systems, etc). Evidence could also include the use of renewable energy technologies or low carbon heating systems.

Whole Life Carbon

Definition

Whole life carbon is the sum of a project's embodied carbon and operational carbon over a specified period, e.g. its design life or 60 years

Evidence

Evidence would be a calculation showing the sum of the embodied and operational carbon values.

Whole Life Carbon Savings

Definition

Savings can only be demonstrated against a legitimate carbon baseline, i.e. what carbon emissions would have resulted from the project had active carbon reduction measures not been in place.

Evidence

Justification of the carbon resulting from the business as usual scenario, then a calculation showing the difference between this value and the project's whole life carbon emissions.

Net Zero Alignment

Definition

A net zero asset may be defined as one that achieves a level of energy performance in line with national climate change targets that does not burn fossil fuels and that is 100% powered by renewable energy. Net zero is the achievement of a balance of zero greenhouse gas emissions by taking actions to remove the same quantity of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as all of the activities under consideration generate.

Evidence

Evidence could include an outline description of how the project will feasibly decarbonise over time, e.g. by introducing new renewable technologies or following electricity grid decarbonisation (if the asset is powered only by electricity). Potential barriers to achieving net zero (e.g. financial, technological, skills, etc) should be highlighted.

Transportation / End User Carbon

Definition

An important gauge in the environmental sustainability of a transport network is the carbon emissions it generates. Carbon emissions quantification usually requires traffic modelling, although this may not always be necessary, depending on the project.

Evidence

Evidence will be project-dependent, from a qualitative description for negligible carbon impact projects, to quantification based on traffic modelling for potentially significant carbon impact projects (e.g. sizable roads projects).