THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NELSON

REQUEST TO APPEAR AS A DELEGATION

DATE: February 24, 2020, Committee of the Whole
TOPIC: Addressing Embodied Carbon in the Building Industry
PROPOSAL: Receive Presentation
PROPOSED BY: Michele Deluca, 3West Building Energy Consultants
_____________________________________________________________________
ANALYSIS SUMMARY:
Michele Deluca of 3West Building Energy Consultants is presenting to Council regarding
embodied carbon in the building industry.

BACKGROUND:
According to some estimates, buildings account for nearly one-quarter of Canadian
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making them a prime target for GHG reduction
strategies. Estimates of building related emissions generally relate to a building’s annual
operations (i.e. energy consumed for heating, cooling, ventilation). However, a building’s
operations are just one phase of its life cycle.

In the building context, “embodied carbon” refers to emissions other than operational
emissions. These include emissions associated with construction material extraction,
manufacturing, and transportation to site, on-site construction processes, as well as
building maintenance, repair, refurbishment, and decommissioning (end-of-life, including
demolition, recycling, and landfill).

Some reasons that policy makers are increasingly paying attention to embodied carbon
include:

1. The dominance of operational GHGs is shrinking and buildings are increasingly

becoming energy efficient. As buildings become more efficient, the focus is shifting to
embodied carbon as the construction phases of buildings will most likely be responsible
for the bulk of life cycle emissions in the future.

2. In some jurisdictions, targeting operational emissions has limited impacts on GHG

reduction because buildings are operated using already clean-electricity grids. Many
areas in Canada, including BC, having low-carbon electric grids. Reducing operational
energy from electricity in buildings is important, but does not get at the most significant
portion of buildings-related emissions in those regions.

3. Policies aimed at reducing embodied carbon can address emissions in the building
and construction sector that are not yet being tackled by other carbon policies and can
do so in the timeframes needed to meet reduction targets. Large-scale emissions
reductions are required in the short-term to meet reduction targets. Embodied carbon
policies can help achieve these goals as they focus on the short-term (i.e. initial
procurement) and offer immediate results. Operational savings, on the other hand, are
measured annually, and build up over a longer time period.

BENEFITS OR DISADVANTAGES AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS:

The presentation is for Council and the public’s information.
LEGISLATIVE IMPACTS, PRECEDENTS, POLICIES:
It is within Council mandate and authority to hear the information presented.

COSTS AND BUDGET IMPACT - REVENUE GENERATION:

There is no cost associated with this presentation.

IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND STAFF RESOURCES:

Hearing the presentation from the Ms. Deluca does not impact the City’s sustainability
objectives or staff resources. Notably, reducing embodied carbon emissions associated
with construction in the Nelson area aligns with Council’s strategic goals and the City’s
Path to 2040 Sustainability Plan and Low Carbon Path to 2040 Community Energy and
Emissions Action Plan.

OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES:

1. Receive and thank the presenter

ATTACHMENTS:
Powerpoint Presentation

RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Council receives the presentation from Michele Deluca and thank her for the
presentation.

AUTHOR: REVIEWED BY:

_______________________________ ___________________________
DEPUTY CORPORATE OFFICER CITY MANAGER
Embodied Carbon: The Blindspot of the
Building Industry
Where are we at?

The BC Energy Step

code is a step in the
right direction…but is
it enough?
So what is embodied
carbon?

The carbon footprint of a

building is made up of two
components: OPERATIONAL
and EMBODIED carbon.

Operational carbon has been

getting a lot of attention in
recent years, which is a good
thing … but usually to the
exclusion of embodied carbon.
 Time is a critical
factor.

By 2030, embodied carbon

will still make up the largest
portion of the building’s total
carbon footprint.

We just don’t have that kind of

time.
Take concrete. It alone accounts for 6-10% of
carbon emissions worldwide.
CO2 is released at two points during cement production:

40% from burning of fossil fuels in the manufacturing process.

60% from naturally occurring chemical reactions during processing.
Chris Magwood. Opportunity for CO2 Capture and Storage
in Building Materials. (2019)
 Built using off-the shelf, cost comparable materials:
-wood framing, cellulose and wood fiberboard wall assembly
-concrete foundation with low cement content (high fly ash)
-vinyl siding
-heat pump

….any designer/contractor/builder could make this house, today !!!

Natural/repurposed materials are the answer !
Materials that may excel
in terms of energy
efficiency can be the
worst offenders in
embodied carbon.
Indoor An added benefit of low-carbon, natural materials
Air is less illness associated with the off-gassing of
Quality harmful products, such as spray foam.
What do we
do about it
??
 Combatting climate change. Comparable costs.
Readily available materials. Healthier indoor
environments…..
Low-carbon construction seems like no-brainer to
me.

Let’s get this conversation going!

Get in touch if you wanna talk embodied carbon:

michelendeluca@gmail.com

Thank you!