Why is embodied energy important

Material Use Specifying efficient use of materials and considering their impact from manufacture to disposal. Email this page. Embodied energy. Search Search. NZBC Documents. New Zealand Standards. Recognition must also be given to those who are responsible in their choices. Through greater awareness we can create a larger market for low embodied energy products and put pressure on all manufacturers to develop alternatives for their respective markets.

He is the inventor of EDGE , a green building software and certification system for nearly countries. Join Our List. EDGE App. EDGE Version 3. Click here for more info. Prashant Kapoor, inventor of EDGE, explains why embodied energy in building materials is important, and how manufacturers play a critical role in shaping construction markets for the better.

Read More Stories. The embodied energy of a given object can be analyzed by knowing what materials are contained within an object, and how much of that given material there is. The amount of energy needed to produce a certain material such as aluminum , steel , or concrete is known and can be used to calculate the embodied energy within an item.

The idea of embodied energy is important to help analyze the energy savings of a particular object. For example, if a proposed wind turbine is promised to be more energy efficient in its operation but requires tremendous amounts of energy in its materials and assembly, it might not be worth the effort.

From this knowledge of an object's embodied energy, the environmental impact associated with it may also be estimated. The embodied energy within a given raw material is typically measured in an "energy per unit mass" scale, such as megajoules per kilogram.

To create low-carbon buildings, we need to choose low-carbon building materials. But additional tools are becoming available. In looking at reducing embodied energy in the building process, it is important to keep in mind that more processed materials will generally have higher embodied energy. Most lifecycle assessments show that the majority of embodied energy comes from the supply chain.

As such, the drive toward reducing embodied energy in the built environment should also include a movement to make changes at the supply chain level, encouraging producers of steel, concrete and other materials to continue to shift towards more sustainable practices.