Reducing Carbon Emissions With Embodied Carbon

As architects and glaziers work to design and construct building projects more sustainably, the consideration of embodied carbon has become a bigger factor in understanding the overall impact of a project’s carbon footprint.

FREMONT, CA: Reducing carbon emissions from building operations must be balanced with embodied carbon emissions, which result from the manufacture and installation of building materials. Environmentalists are urging the Government to pass laws that will cut the amount of carbon dioxide released during the manufacture of architectural items, including glass. It's critical to first comprehend the role embodied carbon plays in glass production to comprehend the effects these initiatives will have on the architectural glass sector. The energy-intensive process of heating the melting furnace to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to transform raw materials into flat glass is where the majority of the embodied carbon in glass comes from. Although to a lesser extent, the procedures of tempering, laminating, and manufacturing flat glass into insulating glass units all contribute to the glass's GWP. In reality, the production of the flat glass lites is responsible for around 75 per cent of the embodied carbon in each insulating glass unit (IGU). According to estimates, of the remaining embodied carbon in an IGU, 13 per cent comes from heat strengthening or tempering the glass, ten per cent comes from the actual production of the IGU, and only two per cent comes from the application of low-E coatings.

Glass producers may think about taking some of the following actions to lower overall energy consumption in glass production to further minimise the amount of carbon embodied in architectural IGUs:

• Enhancing furnace control systems' performance to lessen the fluctuation of melting temperatures and fuel usage.

• Designing plants for low burners.

• Using variable frequency motor on cooling fans to save energy.

• Utilising post-industrial and pre-industrial recycled raw materials to cut back on fuel use.

• Converting facility lighting to LED, which can consume up to 80% less electricity than incandescent lighting.

• Utilizing oxy-fuel technology, which can cut greenhouse gas emissions in half and energy use in glass melting furnaces by up to 20 per cent.

The emission reduction that energy-efficient glazings bring about should also be noted. The built environment is less negatively impacted by the creation of high-performing Low-E coated glass, even if the raw glass does contain embedded carbon.

Environmental Items Declarations (EPDs) are third-party certified records that give specific information about the environmental effects of building products over their entire life cycles. Understanding how to properly read, evaluate, and apply data that is provided in EPDs is crucial. Generally speaking, this data should be utilised to inform and demonstrate compliance with the rules of green building rating systems and governmental regulations. An EPD's objective is to offer details on a product's environmental impact during its life cycle. Because they often rely on impact estimates, they can vary between product lines and in terms of stated impact. EPDs are likely to be the most valuable in assessing how a certain product was created and what efforts producers are taking to reduce energy costs when it comes to measuring embodied carbon. Review the General EPD Education brochure from the National Glass Association for further details. The EC3 tool is a calculator that assists architects and other stakeholders in comparing, evaluating, and reducing the amount of embodied carbon utilised across all the building goods (including glass) required for their construction projects.