Carbon Footprint Calculator for Construction Projects (CFCCP)

Abstract

A carbon footprint is defined as ‘The total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, event, organization or product expressed as mainly CO2 emissions [1]. Carbon footprints and their calculations have recently drawn considerable attention in order to limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Several carbon footprint calculators are available online to estimate the carbon dioxide emissions of individuals and households based on house, auto, and other consumption-related measures. On the other hand, there are a limited number of calculators that address construction projects. The importance of developing carbon calculators for construction projects is due to the fact that 13- 18% of the total embodied carbon footprint of any construction project [2] and 100% of the total embodied carbon footprint of any landscape project is released the year the project is built or installed.

Therefore, the aim of this project, Carbon Footprint Calculator for Construction Projects (CFCCP), is to initiate a carbon footprint calculator that can be used in the market place for estimating the carbon footprint of construction projects. The CFCCP is capable of estimating the total carbon footprint of a construction project taking into consideration such variables as size, landscape, and material construction. This calculator produces better accuracy estimates compared with other existing construction carbon foot print calculators [3] that consider only the general inputs of a certain project and produce an estimate with ±25% accuracy. The cost of the accuracy is accomplished via quality library variables including: project design plan, detailed bill of quantities (BOM), and schedule timeline.