Green Building and Technology Unit 3

Syllabus
 Embodied Energy, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact
Assessment, Energy Audit and Energy Management.
 A) Embodied energy of various construction materials. Introduction to the
Concept: Life Cycle assessment of materials.
 B) EIA : Introduction to EIA., Process of EIA and its application through a
case study., EIA as a strategic tool for sustainable development.
 C) Energy Management.

Embodied Energy
1. Definition: Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy required to produce any goods or
services, considered as if that energy was incorporated or 'embodied' in the product itself.
2. Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the
production of a building, from the mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing,
transport and product delivery.
3. The concept can be useful in determining the effectiveness of energy-producing or energy
saving devices, or the "real" replacement cost of a building, and, because energy-inputs
usually entail greenhouse gas emissions, in deciding whether a product contributes to or
mitigates global warming.
4. One fundamental purpose for measuring this quantity is to compare the amount of energy
produced or saved by the product in question to the amount of energy consumed in producing
it.
5. Embodied energy is an accounting method which aims to find the sum total of the energy
necessary for an entire product lifecycle.

6. Every building is a complex combination of many processed materials, each of which contributes to
the building’s total embodied energy.
7. Renovation and maintenance also add to the embodied energy over a building’s life.
8. Choices of materials and construction methods can significantly change the amount of energy
embodied in the structure of a building, as embodied energy content varies enormously between
products and materials.
9. Assessing the embodied energy of a material, component or whole building is often a complex task.
10. Embodied energy does not include the operation and disposal of the building material, which would
be considered in a life cycle approach.
11. Embodied energy is the ‘upstream’ or ‘front-end’ component of the life cycle impact of a home.
12. A complex combination of many processed materials determines a building’s total embodied
energy.
13. The single most important factor in reducing the impact of embodied energy is to design long life,
durable and adaptable buildings.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
1. Life cycle assessment determines the environmental impacts of products, processes or
services, through production, usage, and disposal.
2. Life Cycle Assessment:
A systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials
and energy and the associated environmental impacts directly attributable to the functioning of a
product or service system throughout its life cycle.
3. Life Cycle:
Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product or service system, from the extraction of natural
resources to the final disposal.
4. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing the potential environmental aspects
and potential aspects associated with a product (or service), by:
i. compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs,
ii. evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs,
iii. interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the
study.

5. Life-cycle assessment or life cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis) is
a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the
life-cycle of a commercial product, process, or service.
6. For instance, in the case of a manufactured product, environmental impacts are assessed
from raw material extraction and processing (cradle), through the product's manufacture,
distribution and use, to the recycling or final disposal of the materials composing it
7. An LCA study involves a thorough inventory of the energy and materials that are required
across the industry value chain of the product, process or service, and calculates the
corresponding emissions to the environment.
8. LCA thus assesses cumulative potential environmental impacts.
9. The aim is to document and improve the overall environmental profile of the product.
10. Widely recognized procedures for conducting LCAs are included in the 14000 series of
environmental management standards of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO), in particular, in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

Green Building and Technology Unit 3

Environmental Impact Assessment
1. Environmental assessment (EA) is the assessment of the environmental
consequences (positive negative) of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior
to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.
2. In this context, the term "environmental impact assessment" (EIA) is usually used
when applied to actual projects by individuals or companies and the term "strategic
environmental assessment" (SEA) applies to policies, plans and programmes most
often proposed by organs of state.
3. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely
environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account
inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and
adverse.
4. It is a tool of environmental management forming a part of project approval and
decision-making.
5. Environmental assessments may be governed by rules of administrative
procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision making, and
may be subject to judicial review.
6. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the
environmental impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project.

7. The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental
impact assessment as "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating
the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to
major decisions being taken and commitments made“
8. Environmental impact assessments commenced in the 1960s, as part of
increasing environmental awareness.
9. EIAs involved a technical evaluation intended to contribute to more objective decision
making.
10. UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to identify the
environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
11. It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and
design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the
local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
12. Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by the Environment
Protection Act, 1986 which contains various provisions on EIA methodology and
process.

 After 2006 Amendment the EIA cycle comprises of four stages:
1. Screening
2. Scoping
3. Public hearing
4. Appraisal

Importance of EIA
1. EIA links environment with development for environmentally safe and
sustainable development.
2. EIA provides a cost effective method to eliminate or minimize the adverse impact
of developmental projects.
3. EIA enables the decision makers to analyse the effect of developmental
activities on the environment well before the developmental project is
implemented.
4. EIA encourages the adaptation of mitigation strategies in the developmental
plan.
5. EIA makes sure that the developmental plan is environmentally sound and within
the limits of the capacity of assimilation and regeneration of the ecosystem.

BENEFITS OF THE EIA PROCESS
1. Potentially screens out environmentally-unsound projects
2. Proposes modified designs to reduce environmental impacts –
3. Identifies feasible alternatives –
4. Predicts significant adverse impacts –
5. Identifies mitigation measures to reduce, offset, or eliminate major
impacts
6. Engages and informs potentially affected communities and individuals -
Influences decision-making and the development of terms and conditions

STAGES OF THE EIA PROCESS
1. Identifying and Defining the Project or Activity: Although this step may seem
relatively simple, defining a “project” for the purposes of an EIA can become
complex and even controversial if a mining project is large, has several phases, or
involves multiple sites. The goal of this step is to define the project with enough
specificity to accurately determine the zone of possible impacts and to include
activities that are closely connected with the proposal so that the entire scope of
environmental impacts is evaluated.
2. Screening: The screening process determines whether a particular project
warrants preparation of an EIA.
3. Scoping: Scoping is a stage, usually involving the public and other interested
parties, that identifies the key environmental issues that should be addressed in
an EIA. This step provides one of the first opportunities for members of the public
or NGOs to learn about a proposed project and to voice their opinions

4. Preparing Terms of Reference: The Terms of Reference serve as a roadmap for EIA
preparation and should ideally encompass the issues and impacts that have been identified
during the scoping process. A draft Terms of Reference may be made available for public
review and comment.
5. Preparing Draft EIA: A draft EIA is prepared in accordance with the Terms of Reference
and/ or the range of issues identified during the scoping process.
6. Public Participation: Best EIA practice involves and engages the public at numerous points
throughout the process with a two-way exchange of information and views. Public
participation may consist of informational meetings, public hearings, and opportunities to
provide written comments about a proposed project.
7. Preparing Final EIA: This step produces a final impact assessment report that addresses
the viewpoints and comments of the parties that reviewed the draft EIA.
8. Decision: A decision to approve or reject a mining project is generally based on the final
EIA, but in some instances, an environmental clearance may be just one step in the mine
permitting process.

EIA as a strategic tool for sustainable
development.
1. The consequence of development plans and activities which have not taken
environmental considerations into account are obvious and often have detrimental
impacts on human welfare, human health and the ecosystem.
2. During the past two decades, environmental impact assessment procedures have been
increasingly used, implicitly and/or explicitly, to identify what could be the potential
impacts of a proposed development activity, so that appropriate mitigative measures
could be incorporated.
3. Environmental impact assessment procedures are evolving. While at the beginning
these primarily focused on identifying effects and impacts on the physical and natural
components of the environment, the procedures are now increasingly assessing impacts
on the social, cultural and anthropological components as well, although there is still a
lack of methodologies for integrating the studies of these two aspects of the human
environment.

4. Alternatives for siting, raw materials used, manufacturing processes employed, products
produced, and waste treatment methods to be incorporated, are some of the options that
could be generated and assessed, so that the combination that will use natural resources
more efficiently and will have the least impacts on the human environment can be chosen
for the plans and designs.
5. Past development objectives, policies and strategies need to be critically evaluated so that
alternate patterns that not only increase standards of living but also the quality of life could
be improved and implemented, not just for a privileged minority, but for all the people.
6. Environmental impact assessment procedures provide the means to identify the technical
constraints to plan and implement sustainable development projects.

7. They can and should also be used to identify what are the policy and
institutional constraints. Some of these are:
A. Lack of trained and qualified manpower to plan and implement
technologies that support sustainable development.
B. Slow or non-responsive institutional and administrative systems that do
not foster multi- sectoral and multi-disciplinary approaches required to
conceive and plan sustainable development policies and strategies.
C. Lack of budgetary allocations to promote multi-sectoral approaches which
are often required for enviroiiinentally sound natural resource utilisation
and development.

Energy Management
 Definition
 Energy management is the process of tracking and monitoring energy to conserve
usage in a building.
 Energy management is the means to controlling and reducing a building's energy
consumption, which enables:
a) Reduce costs – energy represents 25% of all operating costs in an office building.
b) Reduce carbon emissions in order to meet internal sustainability goals and
regulatory requirements.
c) Reduce risk – the more energy you consume, the greater the risk that energy price
increases or supply shortages could seriously affect your profitability. With energy
management software, you can reduce this risk by reducing your demand for
energy and by controlling it so as to make it more predictable.

 Energy management includes planning and operation of energy production and energy
consumption units.
 Objectives are resource conservation, climate protection and cost savings, while the users
have permanent access to the energy they need.
 It is connected closely to environmental management, production management, logistics and
other established business functions.
 a definition which includes the economic dimension: “Energy management is the proactive,
organized and systematic coordination of procurement, conversion, distribution and use of
energy to meet the requirements, taking into account environmental and economic objectives”.

Meaning of Energy Management:
 Energy management is the art and science of optimum use of energy to maximize profits
(minimize costs) and thereby improve the economic competiveness.
 The energy should be used efficiently, economically and optimally.
 Energy management can also be defined as the science involving planning, directing, controlling
the supply and consumption of energy to maximise productivity and comforts and minimise the
energy costs and pollution with conscious, judicious and effective use of energy.
 The energy management involves strategy, policy, organisational changes, energy audit, energy
conservation measures, administrative actions, training and awareness programmes, monitoring
of energy conservation efforts etc.
 Energy management is an important management function of every organisation (like production,
finance, marketing, planning, and design). Energy organisation must have a written energy
management policy document and the top management must be committed to implement the
energy policy. The energy objectives must be known to energy executive and supervisor. The
energy must be monitored vis-a-vis the production.

 Objectives of Energy Management:
 1. Objectives of supply side:
 To formulate energy strategies, plan energy supply on short term, mid-term and long
term basis and to ensure adequate supply of various forms of secondary (usable)
energy to various consumers in the allocated geographical zone with minimum cost and
minimum environmental pollution, to regulate energy flow.
 2. Objectives of End-user side:
 To select optimum energy forms for consumption and to optimize energy consumption
of each form of energy for reducing energy costs and for improving productivity,
standard of living and environment.
 In accordance with this generic objective, every end-user organization should have an
energy objective statement in written form as a management policy statement. This is
an obligatory function for every organization on supply side and demand side in
individual and national interest.

Green Building and Technology Unit 3

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Green Building and Technology Unit 3