Operational and embodied carbon in new build housing: a reappraisal

Until now, focus has been almost entirely on the carbon emissions resulting from the operation of homes.

With increasingly energy efficient homes, embodied carbon becomes a more significant proportion of the carbon footprint of a home. Indeed for zero carbon homes introduced from 2016, embodied carbon could exceed the operational carbon when compared on an equal footing.

This publication, supported by Stewart Milne Group, Crest Nicholson plc and Barratt Developments plc, provides detailed results on embodied carbon figures across a range of dwelling types and compliance levels and a full account of the methods used.