Former Winvic technical director Tim Reeve has launched an online carbon calculator designed specifically for the UK construction industry.
The calculator, which took nine months to develop, is available via the business he launched last year, NZC Solutions.
Reeve explained how the calculator works: “Users enter basic information about factors such as product mixes and quantities, via straightforward means such as drop-down boxes. Each entry then links automatically to the material’s most reliable and robust emission data source, such as its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
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“That document is part of our extensive construction datapoint library, containing only audited and verified real-time carbon details about thousands of building products and materials. This facility is made possible by application programming interfaces (APIs).”
The calculator multiplies each quantity a user enters by its carbon factor index, from a source such as the EPD, and applies the appropriate conversion factor to provide an emission tonnage. At the end of the process, the calculator outputs a report containing a total emission number, expressed in the accepted form of units of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Reeve added: “The tool also offers users benefits such as customised workspace portals for hosting, saving and editing their carbon calculations. It additionally provides them with benchmarking data against industry standards, their own past performances, and the results of their key competitors.
"Moreover, the calculator offers users options to send their completed carbon reports directly for expert, third-party verification and to access NZC Market Place, which contains details of manufacturers and suppliers offering low-carbon solutions, including products and materials.”
Meeting relevant standards
Reeve said the calculator meets “all relevant legal and regulatory standards, plus governance procedures and methods”, including the UK Green Building Council’s Net Zero Buildings Framework, ISO 14064 and the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
The calculator is available via a subscription to either of two packages: NZC Plus is for main contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers and suppliers wanting an accurate and comprehensive analysis of their organisations’ operational carbon footprints; while NZC Pro is for main contractors and subcontractors wanting to calculate emissions from their projects and works packages. The latter can generate carbon impact reports at both the as-built and tender stages of a development.
While Reeve was at Winvic, the contractor worked with Costain and the University of the West of England to develop an AI-based carbon calculator.
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