news from the BRE Group
published: 7/2/2012
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New guidance on life cycle assessment of energy efficiency technologies
A European Commission funded project is producing expert guidance on using life cycle assessment (LCA) methods to assess and compare the performance of new energy efficiency measures developed under the Energy Efficient Building (EeB) Initiative.
The EeB Initiative provides a framework for research projects aiming to develop innovations that help to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Life cycle assessment is used to assess the environmental benefits of the new measures, but LCA methods and metric can vary considerably, making accurate comparisons difficult.
Under the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme, a consortium of six partner organisations is developing the ‘EeBGuide' - an operational guidance manual for conducting LCA studies - along with related training material and courses for practitioners in industry and research. The aim is to provide a common methodology that will allow reliable assessment and comparison of energy efficiency initiatives.
The six partners are the Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik (FhG-IBP), PE International, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), Escola Superior de Comerc International (ESCI), Prof Ch Sjöström Consultancy, and BRE Global which has an expert technical review role in the production of the EeBGuide and other material.
The guidance being developed will be based on - and in line with -the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook, co-developed by the European Commission's JRC-IES. To help maximise acceptance of the new guidance by stakeholders, the ILCD requirements will be combined with the new CEN/TC 350 standards, such as EN 15804 (Environmental Performance at the product level) and FprEN 15978 (Environmental Performance at the building level).
The EeBGuide will focus on two core components, a full explanation of the issues to be considered when using LCA as part of the EeB Initiative, and detailed advice on addressing these issues. It will include case study examples and operational guidance on how to conduct appropriate, high-quality LCA studies.
The first part of the project (November-December 2011) focused on setting up the project website (www.eebguide.eu), and researching the ILCD and CEN/TC 350 requirements in order to define the core content of the guidance.
The next steps will include drafting the contents of the EeBGuide and developing case studies of existing and new buildings of different types to demonstrate the applicability of the guidance in practice.
The active involvement of all relevant stakeholders is being encouraged to maximise the uptake and applicability of the guidance. To that end, regular meetings involving both expert stakeholders and the public will be held, and news updates will be disseminated via the website.
For more information visit www.eebguide.eu
Notes for Editors
BRE Global Limited (incorporating LPCB & BREEAM) is an independent third party approvals body offering certification of fire, security and sustainability products and services to an international market.
BRE Global Limited is custodian of the brands:
- LPCB for the approval of fire and security products and services, listed in the Red Book
- BREEAM the world's leading environmental assessment method for buildings, sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the
de-facto measure of a building's environmental performance.
BRE Global's mission is to ‘Protect People, Property and the Planet' and is part of the BRE Group under the BRE Trust, the registered research and education charity. For further information please contact: BRE Global, Garston, Watford, WD25 9XX, Tel: 01923 664100, Fax: 01923 664910, Email: enquiries@breglobal.com or visit www.breglobal.com
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