the overlooked impact: embodied carbon in building services While material choices for the building fabric often take centre stage in embodied carbon discussions, the Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health (MEP) building services contribute significantly to a project’s overall whole life carbon (WLC) footprint. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Technical Memorandum 65 (TM65) provides a standardised methodology to accurately calculate and address this often- overlooked impact. what is TM65? TM65 offers a consistent framework for quantifying the embodied carbon of a wide range of MEP components throughout their lifecycle, including: • Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems • Lighting systems • Water and drainage systems • Electrical distribution By providing clear calculation boundaries and methodologies,TM65 enables a more transparent and comparable assessment of MEP’s embodied carbon.
key considerations within TM65: TM65 allows for comparison between MEP products and systems, while providing a realistic estimate of embodied carbon from minimal information about the product and manufacturing process.The methodology estimates a product’s: • Upfront emissions (A1-A3): Carbon associated with the manufacturing and production of equipment. • Recurring emissions (B1-B5): Carbon from maintenance, repairs, and replacements throughout the building’s operational life. Crucially, this includes fugitive emissions of refrigerants (B1). • End-of-life emissions (C1-C4): Carbon associated with the disposal or recycling of MEP equipment.
why TM65 is important?
Accurate carbon accounting Provides a reliable way to quantify a significant portion of a building’s embodied carbon.
Informed MEP system selection Enables designers to compare the embodied carbon of different MEP solutions.
Targeted reduction strategies Identifies carbon “hotspots” within building services, allowing for focused mitigation efforts.
Whole life carbon optimisation Integrates MEP embodied carbon data into broader WLC assessments for a holistic view.
Meeting sustainability goals Contributes to acheving overall project sustainabiity targets and net zero ambitions.
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