In my research into how to calculate carbon dioxide emissions and sequestration I was deluged by the
amount of information which was available on the subject. Unfortunately the subject of climate change,
green house gasses, and specifically carbon dioxide emissions is extremely complicated. It almost takes
a degree in chemistry, forestry, and environmental science to understand some of the information which is
available.

The 2030 challenge by Ed Mazria is simply this: That all new buildings should by the year 2030 have no
fossil fuels required for their operation. Since the McCall field campus project has this challenge in mind
as a top design goal; it is important to know how to scientifically prove how much fossil fuel energy our
proposed buildings and structures will require to operate.

One of the best ways of doing this is to use what are called carbon calculators. A carbon calculator is like
a wizard on your computer. You fill in the blanks in answering questions about fuel usage etc, and the calculator
figures out how many pounds of carbon or greenhouse gasses you are emitting over time.

I hope that this web site will be a tool that the design studios are able to use and benefit from.

The SafeClimate carbon footprint calculator allows you to determine carbon dioxide
emissions from major sources: home energy consumption and transportation by car and plane.

This set of Excel-based calculators assess carbon emissions from production of various building materials
and their transportation—and much more.

UK based energy calculator. Calculates carbon dioxide emissions for many of the major types
of fossil fuels.

This NZ- based CO₂ Calculator is useful because it calculates the amount of CO₂ individual appliances
generate.

The American forests calculator estimates the amount of trees needed to offset greenhouse gas emissions
by home and travel uses.

This UK CO₂ calculator is a very comprehensive one. It is aimed at individuals and will give you a yearly
total of carbon dioxide emissions.

This carbon calculator is provided by the environmental protection agency. In addition to home and travel
sources, waste is also considered in the carbon dioxide output calculation.

The BP carbon calculator is a flash site which updates according to how many people are in the family
and other parameters.

Although this tool does not have all building materials available, it does have quite a few. The
tool runs in Microsoft Excel. You will need to enable macros in order to run the tool.

There are several tools on the web. Try this link out. This is perhaps one of the more comprehensive calculators but still manages to keep it simple.

This is a good start if you want to calculate the carbon footprint of a building or a business. For a ‘standard way’ you might want to investigate the carbon disclosure project and the green house gas protocol.

The USGBC has accepted the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center proposed Innovation and Design credit for carbon neutral building operation. Use the link below to access a .pdf file of the LEED submission documents for Energy and Atmosphere credit 1- Optimize Energy Performance; Energy and Atmosphere credit 2- Renewable Energy; Energy and Atmosphere credit 6- Green Power and Innovation and Design credit 3- Carbon Neutral Building Operation. I used the World Resources Institute's Greenhouse Gas Protocol to develop the carbon accounting. I hope the documents are helpful to those trying to apply carbon balance techniques in the studio and classroom.

https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-6573943_1

Source: Michael Utzinger
Department of Architecture
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
GHG Protocol is one which lets you estimate the GHG based on the territory and end-use.

While computing the carbon cost of building construction is complex and tedious, as we achieve net-zero, carbon neutral operation in buildings, the carbon cost of construction is what remains. Torcelli authored an NREL report, Zero Energy Buildings: A Critical Look at the Definition, NREL/CP-550-39833 which provides four definitions of zero energy buildings. None of them include the energy (and carbon emissions) expended and embodied in construction. I suggest that a fifth definition be added: for a building designed to produce more energy than it uses at carbon neutral or better operation, what is the ratio of energy cost (carbon emission) of construction to net energy produced (carbon sequestered or offset) per year of operation. The result of this ratio is years of operation to payback cost of construction (energy or carbon). If the payback time in years is less than the expected life of the building, the building is net zero (or carbon neutral) in both construction and operation. The parenthetical reference to carbon neutral does not mean it is the same as net zero, but that the definition can be applied to either an energy or a carbon balance.

The LEED documents for energy, renewable energy and carbon neutral operation for the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center are in the file "ALF_CarbonNeutral.pdf" which can be found using the link below. The carbon balance considered building operation, not the carbon emission cost of construction and embodied energy.

https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-13566192_1-t_U7XZs7AS

Source: Michael Utzinger
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

A number of carbon calculators exist in the US and elsewhere, but here are
some key ones which may meet your requirements.

1.      EPA carbon emissions calculator
EPA has developed tools to help individuals (and households) reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and take action. Businesses and organizations
interested in educating their employees and members about what they can do
at home to help protect our climate can also use these tools.
It also contains a spreadsheet for understanding the actual numbers behind
the user interface:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/calculator/ind_calculator.html

2.      BP calculator: international and graphic
The BP carbon calculator provides a simple guide to your household carbon
footprint based upon key features of your home, your personal energy use
profile, your use of green technologies and your transport profile
http://www.bp.com/carboncalculator.do?categoryId=9015635&contentId=7032696

3.      Safe climate: project run by World Resources Institute
http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/index.php

For information, UK government has launched ‘its’ official carbon
calculator which is becoming quiet popular for use in carbon offsetting -
see: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html - very easy to use!

Source: Dr Rajat Gupta
Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University
Co-Director, Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development: Architecture
Visiting Scholar, Arizona State University, USA
Email: rgupta@brookes.ac.uk

Please see the recently-launched report by UK Green Building Council on
the definition of zero carbon buildings - its available on:

http://www.ukgbc.org/site/resources/showResourceDetails?id=180

As you may know that a lot of work is going on in UK, given that all new
homes are expected to be 'zero carbon' by 2016 and all new non-domestic
buildings to be zero carbon by 2019.

Clearly passive design is the first key step in achieving low/zero
carbon, but there is much debate going on with the issue of 'on-site'
versus 'near-site' (privately connected) versus
'off-site' renewables, and whether off-site renewables will be allowed
in achieving a 'zero carbon' status. Based on our research and practice,
we have found that the cost for achieving low carbon (80% better than
conventional new) are relatively less than going for 100% carbon
reduction. The Government estimates that we need about £35k (c.$70k) per
dwelling additional to achieving zero carbon. Our research suggests this
to be about £50k subject to dwelling form, location and development size.

Source: Dr Rajat Gupta
Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University

You might want to try using the Ecocalculator for Assemblies from the Sustainable Materials Institute. It is free and downloadable from their web site (www.athenasmi.ca). The environmental impacts from building materials that it measures are: Embodied Primary Energy, Global Warming Potential, Air & Water Pollution, and a Weighted Ecological Index. Several of my students have found it a very useful tool.

Source: Harvey Bryan, Ph.D., FAIA, LEED AP
Professor
School of Architecture
School of Sustainability
P.O. Box 871605
Arizona State University

Development
April 2007
Introducing a new tool for measuring the carbon output of construction projects, Mithun, a leading sustainable design practice, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center have joined forces to expand current understanding of the construction industry's role in global warming and help it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Designers, developers, owners and contractors armed with this information can engineer the entire site - building and landscape - to reduce its carbon footprint.
The new carbon calculator, known as BuildCarbonNeutral, is available at www.buildcarbonneutral.org. It generates a uniquely integrated perspective for use in the first phase of design - reviewing the amount of CO2 released not during the lifetime of a completed building, but by its materials and site during the construction process.

Source: Mithun Architects

Racliff Architectes has developed this calculator for facility operations. Evidently Kit Ratcliff received permission from the World
Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development to share the GHG Protocol calculation tools and made
adjustments for user-friendliness.

http://www.ratcliffarch.com/ghgcalc/

Source: Alison Kwok, Assoc. Professor, Oregon

Rocky Mountain Institute Unveils Green Footstep, a Carbon Calculator

Rocky Mountain Institute is seeking to help architects, designers and engineers create carbon neutral buildings with the launch of Green Footstep, a new, free, online carbon calculator for reducing carbon emissions. Online at www.greenfootstep.org, the calculator allows users to assess their design’s total carbon footprint including site development, construction, and operation; set carbon emissions goals; and explore options to meet Architecture 2030 Challenge targets.

The calculator can be used for both residential and commercial new and retrofit projects. Used at the beginning of a project, the tool can set carbon goals, identify principals to meet the goals, and test different design decisions to see how they impact greenhouse gas emissions. The tool also can be used throughout a project to measure the impact of design changes against original targets.

For more information, visit greenfootstep.org.

Source eco-structure Staff

	University of Idaho
	ARCH 553 Comprehensive Design Studio Haglund Fall 2009 Carbon Calculation Tools
	Research provided by Paul Marx and others as noted

University of Idaho

Rocky Mountain Institute Unveils Green Footstep, a Carbon Calculator