ABSTRACT
The embodied energy of a building is the energy used to manufacture and transport the materials used in the building, as well as the energy used during the construction process itself. The operating energy refers to the energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and appliances or office machines, which has been the subject of this book so far. The embodied energy depends on the energy intensity of the industries involved in producing building materials, while transportation energy depends on the energy intensity of transportation and the distances transported. There is tremendous scope for reducing industrial and transportation energy intensities (i.e. energy used per unit of output or per tonnekm of transport), and as these energy intensities improve, the embodied energy in new buildings will decrease. Nevertheless, it is appropriate here to briefly identify areas where alternative designs can reduce the embodied energy of buildings, and to examine instances where decreased building operating energy might be associated with increased embodied energy, in order to determine the sign and magnitude of the net change in energy use.
