EMBODIED ENERGY AUDIT : A TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Embodied energy is the energy required for production of building materials. It consists of energy required for, �â� �¢ for quarrying of raw materials, o for transportation of materials from quarry to manufacturing unit, �â� �¢ for manufacturing of materials, o for transportation of finished materials to distribution outlets, o for transportation of finished materials from distribution outlets to site of construction. There will be an exponential rise in building requirements particularly in our urban centers that means more and more building materials will be required resulting in more energy input in construction. As all the sources available for energy are conventional, it results in non-sustainable construction system. To evolve a sustainable construction system, it is needed to provide more quantity of building materials, in minimum quantity of energy. That means it should be able to maintain the existing energy levels used. This can be done by first knowing the embodied energy of the existing building. My objective will be to develop a methodology for calculating embodied energy, and application of that methodology in case studies. Analysis of data, giving inferences and conclusions will be drawn. My scope will be limited to calculating only the embodied energy of construction of one type of building type, and it will be restricted to one topographical and climatic region.