Now you can do even more to evaluate the environmental aspects of building design with AccuRate. The new ECO2 module, enables AccuRate to calculate the embodied CO2 in a proposed design.
Whole building life cycle CO2 emissions are largely determined by two factors; the emissions produced by energy used during its lifetime - operational CO2 - and the net emissions produced by the materials used in its construction - embodied CO2.
An ECO2 module has been developed for integration into AccuRate by CSIRO's National Climate Adaptation Flagship with co-investment from Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd (FWPA).
AccuRate is fully featured software developed by CSIRO for rating the energy efficiency of residential building designs.
The term "Embodied CO2" (ECO2) is defined here as the total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions caused from resource extraction, transportation, manufacturing and fabrication of a material, component or system (cradle-to-factory gate). Emissions from the construction, operation & maintenance and the end of life disposal phases of the building life cycle were not included in the current ECO2 module implementation.
The ECO2 module enables AccuRate users to compare the effect on ECO2 of using different construction materials (to deliver an equivalent final outcome) and is one step closer to incorporating a broader life cycle approach in building sustainability assessment. Currently the ECO2 module is only available when running AccuRate in non-rating mode.
For more information, please see the AccuRate ECO2 page on this website.