Embodied Carbon Reduction
Embodied Carbon Reduction (ECR) is a sustainable structural design, lifecycle analysis and building certification consultancy committed to reducing the carbon contained within the fabric and use of buildings.
Sustainable Structural Design
At ECR, we take a circular approach to our design, striving to support clients in reducing the global warming potential of their buildings.
Life Cycle Analysis
ECR can complete a building Lifecyle analysis to calculate and help reduce the embodied carbon of your building.
Certification
ECR have experience in implementing sustainability standards such as Passive House, Home Performance Index and ISO 14001
Life Cycle Analysis
Currently embodied carbon represents up to 14% of annual global CO2 emissions. While an operational energy analysis is completed for all buildings, the hidden carbon associated with manufacturing and constructing the scheme over its entire lifecycle is currently been overlooked.
At ECR we want to ensure that this hidden carbon associated with a project is quantified. ECR can complete a whole life Global Warming Potential assessment of your development utilizing independently verified software complying to EN 15978 and the requirements of Key Indicator 1.2 Life cycle Global Warming Potential of Level(s). Applying in house structural design experience, ECR can then offer solutions to lower the embodied carbon based on less intensive materials or a more efficient structural design.
Certification
ECR have a number of consultants that have experience in the following sustainability standards.
With the emphasis on embodied carbon, construction firms are now requesting that EPDs are to be supplied with building products. EPDs or environmental product declarations is a statement by your organisation of the Global warming potential (GWP) of your product at each stage of its lifecycle from manufacturing to end of use phases. ECR can work with your organisation to calculate and publish an EPD for your product using a process complaint with the required European standard EN 15804.
Passive House is a worldwide building standard that offers homeowners high levels of thermal comfort while achieving very low energy demand and costs through good design
practices and high levels of quality during construction. ECR are Certified Passive House Designers offering clients the opportunity to both reduce the embodied carbon and operational demand of their project.
ISO 14001 is an environmental management standard. It allows a company to set out its environmental responsibilities using a Plan – Do – Check – Act approach.
ISO 14001: 2015 is the most recent version of the standard. The standard exists to minimise any negative impacts while increasing the positive impacts. An environmental management system provides a framework for making policy and process changes that help you improve your environmental performance irrespective of the size of a company. An ISO certificate shows your Customers and Neighbours that you care about the impacts of your company on the environment.
ECR can create and implement a strategy for your company that ties in with the UN Sustainability Development Goals This will involve collaborating with team members within your organization to identify risks, opportunities and areas of improvement to develop a sustainability charter. This charter will allow your organisation to effectively integrate sustainability into your business polices.
ECR are qualified certifiers for The Home Performance Scheme (HPI) scheme. This is an Irish building certification system that awards dwellings for excellent performance in sustainability. It reviews items such as good design practice, health and wellbeing, sustainable location and the environmental performance of your project. If you want your project achieve this certification ECR can guide you through this process.