Today, design and construction professionals, building engineers, building owners, and managers evaluate boilers, HVAC, and other critical mechanical systems on more than just performance. With the growing popularity of green building programs, like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED); Green Globes; green procurement programs; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, there is increasing pressure for manufacturers of all types to provide information on the total environmental impact of their products and not just from the operational perspective. Building engineers and specifiers are also starting to make product choices based on more than just operational performance.
While initial tactics to minimize carbon footprints were focused almost exclusively on reducing operational carbon, today, building professionals, engineers, specifiers, owners, and operators are evaluating and selecting products, in part, based on their embodied carbon. So, what exactly is embodied (sometimes also referred to as embedded) carbon and how can manufacturers and purchasers of boilers and other mechanical equipment access that information?