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Whole Life Carbon Guide for Building Systems, 2025
- Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction [Go to Page]
- 1.1 Background
- 1.2 Purpose
- 1.3 Scope of this Document
- 1.4 Specific Roles in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems [Go to Page]
- Introduction [Go to Page]
- Life-cycle stages per EN 15978: 2011. (Image credit: Bowles et al. 2022)
- Hourly emissions (kg CO2e/MWh) for April 27, 2023, to May 1, 2023, for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (Image credit: Electricity Maps ApS [n.d.])
- Chapter 2: Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Assessment [Go to Page]
- 2.1 Global Warming Potential
- 2.2 Life-Cycle Assessment
- 2.3 Whole Building Life-Cycle Assessment
- 2.4 Environmental Product Declarations and Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing
- 2.5 Impacts of Electricity Grid Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- 2.6 Impacts of Transportation
- 2.7 Uncertainty Analysis [Go to Page]
- Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Assessment [Go to Page]
- Example whole life global warming potential with uncertainties for heat pump under three scenarios.
- Embodied carbon emission of HVAC components and refrigerants in an office building for a 60-year assessment period of MEP equipment impacts. (Image credit: Michael Deru, Source: Kiamili et al. [2020])
- Chapter 3: Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Contributions to Building Whole Life Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Go to Page]
- 3.1 Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems
- 3.2 Operational Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems
- 3.3 Balance Between Embodied and Operational Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Go to Page]
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Contributions to Building Whole Life Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Go to Page]
- Global warming potential for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing system types in office buildings (life cycle stages A1–A3). (Data Source: Rodriguez et al. 2019)
- Chilled-water system efficiency with SAT (Data Source: Dorgan et al. 1995).
- Chapter 4: Design of High-Performance, Low Global Warming Potential Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems [Go to Page]
- 4.1 Mechanical Systems [Go to Page]
- 4.1.1 Building Enclosure and HVAC Optimization
- 4.1.2 HVAC System Selection
- 4.1.3 High-Efficiency and Right-Sized Equipment
- 4.1.4 Energy Recovery Systems
- 4.1.5 Relationship Between Supply Air Temperature and HVAC System Size
- 4.1.6 Ducts, Piping, and Conduits [Go to Page]
- 4.1.6.1 Layout
- 4.1.6.2 Material Selection
- 4.1.6.3 Insulation
- 4.1.7 Low-Global Warming Potential Refrigerants and Operational Impacts
- 4.2 Electrical Systems [Go to Page]
- 4.2.1 Lighting
- 4.3 Plumbing Systems
- 4.4 On-Site Renewable Energy Systems [Go to Page]
- 4.4.1 Electrical Energy Storage
- 4.4.2 Thermal Energy Storage [Go to Page]
- Design of High-Performance, Low Global Warming Potential Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems
- Chapter 5: Best Construction Practices for Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Go to Page]
- 5.1 Energy to Construct the Project
- 5.2 Transportation Energy
- 5.3 Temporary Facilities
- 5.4 Waste Materials [Go to Page]
- Best Construction Practices for Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Chapter 6: Operating Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Go to Page]
- 6.1 Importance of Controls [Go to Page]
- 6.1.1 Demand Control
- 6.1.2 Smart Controllers and Sensors
- 6.1.3 Artificial-Intelligence-Driven Equipment
- 6.2 In-Use Stage Carbon Audits
- 6.3 Maintenance Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- 6.4 System Replacements [Go to Page]
- Operating Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Chapter 7: Circularity and End of Life [Go to Page]
- 7.1 Design Considerations
- 7.2 Recovery, Reuse, and Recycling
- 7.3 Circular Economy Business Models [Go to Page]
- Circularity and End of Life
- Conclusion
- Appendix A: Additional Resources [Go to Page]
- ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2022, Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
- ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2024, Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings
- ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 105-2021, Standard Methods of Determining, Expressing, and Comparing Building Energy Performance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES Standard 189.3-2021, Standard for the Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable High-Performance Health Care Facilities
- ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018 (RA2023), Standard for Commercial Building Energy Audits
- ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 228-2023, Standard Method of Evaluating Zero Net Energy and Zero Net Carbon Building Performance
- BSR/ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240, Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Buildings
- ASHRAE Standard 242, Standard Method for Calculation of Building Operational Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- ASHRAE Standard 244, Sustainability Assessment for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Products
- IgCC/189.1, International Green Construction Code® powered by ANSI/ASHRAE/ ICC/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High- Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
- A.1 Summary of Life-Cycle Assessment Standards [Go to Page]
- Appendix A: Additional Resources
- Appendix B: Environmental Product Declarations and Life-Cycle Data Sources
- Appendix C: Embodied Carbon and Life-Cycle Assessment Tools
- Glossary
- References
- Appendix B: Environmental Product Declarations and Life-Cycle Data Sources
- Appendix C: Embodied Carbon and Life-Cycle Assessment Tools
- Glossary
- References
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