Knauf Insulation has launched a free, online embodied carbon calculator that allows architects, specifiers, and contractors to assess the full carbon picture of insulation products before they reach a specification or procurement decision.
What is embodied carbon and why does it matter?
When people talk about insulation saving energy, they typically mean operational carbon: the reduction in heating and cooling energy a building needs over its lifetime because of the insulation installed. That part of the picture is well understood.
Embodied carbon is different. It is the carbon produced in extracting raw materials, manufacturing the product, and transporting it to site, before a single brick is laid. For some building materials, the embodied carbon total is substantial. Knowing it allows a specifier to compare two products with similar thermal performance and choose the one with a lower total environmental footprint.
Insulation materials vary considerably in embodied carbon. Mineral wool, glass wool, rigid foam boards, and wood fibre insulation all have different profiles. A calculator that maps product-by-product embodied carbon from a major manufacturer gives specifiers real numbers to work with rather than general claims.
Who the calculator is for
Knauf Insulation says the tool is aimed at specifiers. In practice, this covers anyone involved in writing or influencing a specification for a new build or retrofit project: architects, energy assessors, main contractors managing material selections, and subcontractors asked to substitute or provide evidence for a chosen product.
As more planning authorities in England and Wales begin to require lifecycle assessment data at planning stage, the ability to generate and document embodied carbon figures quickly will shift from a nice-to-have to a submission requirement. A manufacturer-provided calculator that is free and available online lowers the barrier for smaller firms and sole traders who are not running full lifecycle assessment software.
Where to access it
The calculator is available via Knauf Insulation directly. Access details were included in the Professional Builder announcement. The brand's UK website is knaufinsulation.co.uk.
Source: Professional Builder