Actuate UK welcomes guide to embodied carbon in building services

Engineering services umbrella alliance Actuate UK has welcomed the publication of guidance from Actuate UK member CIBSE that outlines the assessment of embodied carbon for products that deliver mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) systems.

The new guidance (CIBSE TM 65) provides a consistent approach for:

• the data required from manufacturers
• an embodied carbon calculation methodology for MEP products, and
• the way in which embodied carbon assessments are reported.

The intention is that consultants and engineers who use the guidance will feedback their findings on the embodied carbon of MEP products, to further develop the guide, as well as establishing further guidance on actions to reduce the embodied carbon of MEP systems.

According to Paul Reeve FIEMA, CSR Director at ECA and member of Actuate UK’s Climate Crisis and Net Zero Target working group: 

“This new guide aims to fill an important knowledge gap about the lifecycle carbon impacts of MEP products and systems. As such, it will help the industry to start evaluating embodied carbon in MEP design, alongside the more commonly understood operational carbon emissions.

Anastasia Mylona, Head of Research at CIBSE, added:

"TM65 is an important first step for the building services sector. CIBSE looks forward to facilitating the development of an embodied carbon database for MEP products, which will make it easier for professionals to address this crucially important challenge."

Notes: the term ‘embodied carbon’ describes greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) – notably including, but not just carbon dioxide - associated with making a product and its installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and subsequent disposal or recovery. but excluding GHG emissions associated with its operation.

The CIBSE TM65 can be found via this link: https://www.cibse.org/knowledge/knowledge-items/detail?id=a0q3Y00000IPZOhQAP