Carbon emissions and embodied energy in buildings: Porto Privilege project in Salvador-Bahia

Abstract

The general objective of this article is to analyze the inventory prepared using the energy consumption and carbon emissions calculator (CECarbon) for a building project in Salvador - Bahia. The following methodological techniques were used: bibliographic and documentary research and an illustrative case of Porto Privilege´s project. The results demonstrated that 79% of carbon emissions from the project (1,134.68 tCO₂e or 0.22 tCO₂e/m²) refer to the consumption of steel, concrete, aluminum frames, mortar, and concrete blocks. The embodied energy in all materials used in the project (12,906.78 GJ or 2.55 GJ/m²) would be capable of supplying 415 homes with four people for one year. Thus, the evaluation of the structural aspect of the building, the efficiency of the construction process, allowing the reduction of losses of steel, concrete, and mortar, or possible replacement of aluminum frames and concrete blocks with other alternative materials, for example, has potential to reduce carbon emissions and embodied energy at Porto Privilege. For possible compensation actions, the project's total emissions are equivalent to the carbon content stored in 7,943 trees in the Atlantic Forest. It is concluded that Porto Privilege's results are positioned within the national average regarding carbon intensity and energy consumption of buildings. It is hoped that the article can motivate other construction companies to carry out their carbon emission inventories, contributing to improving indicators for the sector, and supporting decision-making by entrepreneurs and public agents regarding mitigation strategies and/or offsetting carbon emissions in the construction sector in Brazil.