How Much Energy Is in Your Building Materials?

You might be monitoring how much energy is required to run your building, but do you know how much was used to create the materials going into your next renovation?

The DOE’s Buildings Energy Data Book offers embedded energy and carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for a wealth of building products, such as the windows at right.

Embodied energy tracks the energy used in extraction, processing, transportation, construction, and disposal of each material used to create the final product.

This data can help inform product choices for your next sustainable renovation alongside U-values, heat reflectance, and other green factors.

The book is available at buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov.