ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how people commute to and from UK offices, the CO2e emissions associated with commuting and the influence that location has on a building’s carbon footprint. Transport emissions have returned to around 1990 levels affer peaking in 2007, although the reduction since then may have been influenced in part by the global economic downturn that started in 2008. Car travel dominates the transport emissions and distance travelled in the UK. The decision on whether or not to drive to work is influenced by a number of factors. A review of the limited data available for travel associated with office buildings in the UK suggests that annual transport CO2e emissions for commuting typically fall within a range between 750 and 1,500 kg CO2e/person. Transport carbon can consequently be higher than operating carbon in some office buildings. The distance that people travel to work is a major variable and difficult to predict at the planning and design stages.
