How is the carbon footprint of housing calculated?
The carbon footprint report for housing is based on Green Building Council Finland's building life cycle indicators. The carbon footprint of housing is based on the indicators "carbon footprint of use" and "energy consumption". The actual energy consumption of a property is calculated according to the energy consumption meter and the figures are directly transferred to the carbon footprint calculation for energy.
For each emission component, an emission factor has been calculated for the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) or Motivan according to emission factors.
In essence, the housing footprint is not a measure of the personal housing footprint but of the footprint of the whole property. It also acts as an incentive for the whole community to strive for a smaller carbon footprint, when the carbon footprint of housing has a clear figure, measure and target.
The carbon footprint report for housing is weather-adjusted where necessary, depending on the use, i.e. the carbon footprint takes into account the annual weather variations of the property and the calculated weather-adjusted heat energy consumption. In this way, the carbon footprint report is comparable with previous years, as there are significant differences between years (cold vs. warm winter).
Energy consumption meter
The energy consumption meter measures both the building's electricity and the user's electricity. In other words, the total electricity consumption of the entire property. To obtain the energy meter data, it may be necessary to carry out a survey of residents, asking them both how much energy they have used in a year and whether or not they have bought green electricity. Obviously, this information does not have to be provided and the calculation will be based on an estimation of the data received. In the carbon footprint report, we will always include the accuracy of the data and how it was obtained. All data disclosed is anonymised and never processed separately in other contexts. Electricity consumption and green electricity purchases are only processed for the purpose of calculating the carbon footprint of the property as a whole, and the data is not individualised per dwelling.
The electricity consumption data for the common areas of the property can of course be obtained from the property manager or the chairman of the board. The different forms of electricity production are indicated in a different part of the table. It is worth noting that in this case the user electricity is mainly used for lighting and sauna. Heating electricity is included in the electricity for the building. If the user electricity cannot be specified, it is entered as zero and this is reported in the footprint report. Heating electricity is recorded separately in the energy consumption meter and heating electricity (purchased energy, heat pumps) is part of the electricity for the building. If the property has self-supplied energy and/or sells energy back to the electricity grid, these are also included in the energy consumption table of the carbon footprint report.
Energy consumption table, source: figbc.fi
The carbon footprint of housing - how is it calculated?
Calculating the carbon footprint of housing as a basis Green Building Council Finland's Carbon Footprint Meter. The carbon footprint reports for housing are also weather adjusted if the intention is to use them to develop a property, as weather adjustment allows the reports to be compared with each other. If the report is weather corrected, this is already indicated in the title of the report. If the report is not weather corrected, its comparability with previous years is reduced. If the report is made for sale to real estate agents or investors, the report is not weather corrected but always includes the measured results and is public.
The Housing Carbon Footprint Report is a report produced by Polarfox Oy, which also takes into account the proposals made in the energy certificate of the housing company, which can be used to calculate targets for calculating the carbon footprint. Typical measures include sealing windows, replacing the heating system, installing air-source heat pumps, changing water use or switching to green energy. The targets and measures are house-specific but provide concrete and clear steps towards carbon-neutral housing with clear targets.
The carbon footprint report distinguishes the following emission sources in the table:
Emission source | Scope | For more information, visit | kg Co2 eq (emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent) |
District heating | 2 | Provided if necessary | |
District cooling | 2 | If necessary | |
Fuels, heating | 1 | Mandatory | |
Property electricity | 2 | Information if there is green electricity | |
User electricity | 2 | Information if there is green electricity | |
Waste management | 3 | Volunteer | |
Refrigerants | 1 | Mandatory | |
Fuels, own fleet | 1 | Mandatory, e.g. own car, own tractor, company vehicle | |
Fuels, other equipment | 3 | Voluntary, e.g. | |
Maintenance, administration | 2,3 | Voluntary, e.g. emissions related to host and board meetings | |
Total emissions all |
For example, district heating, direct electricity, geothermal heating and air-to-water heat pumps all have their own emission factors. For self-sufficient energy such as wind or solar power, they reduce the amount of energy purchased and have zero direct emissions. On the other hand, if the purchased energy (so-called green electricity) is produced by solar or wind power, their direct emissions are zero but there are some indirect emissions. We take all these into account in our calculations.
For fuels used in the building, the calorific value of the fuels used is calculated.
What is the difference between a carbon footprint and carbon handprint report for the construction life cycle and a carbon footprint report for housing?
The Finnish Ministry of the Environment strongly supports sustainable housing and construction and is guiding it with new building regulations, which by the mid-2020s will require every new building to present a carbon footprint and carbon handprint for the entire life cycle of the building, in accordance with the proposed building regulations.
This so-called LCA model focuses primarily on new buildings and large, large-scale construction projects. The calculation of the carbon footprint is based on the European Level(s) standard, which provides an understanding of emissions from material inventory, transport, construction, use and demolition.
Carbon footprint report for housing is a carbon footprint report for the entire housing company, measuring emissions from water, energy, heating, waste and the value chain. Scope 3 (value chain) emissions are not measured for individual dwellings. The carbon footprint of a housing company's housing can be a concrete and target-oriented report, setting a target for carbon neutral or low-carbon housing. It can be calculated for both old and new housing companies. The carbon footprint of housing can be calculated only for the current situation (without any deeper analysis or targets). The carbon footprint report is also a sales tool and an incentive to choose sustainable housing.
The carbon footprint report for housing is based on the GHG standard, which measures emissions from energy, heating and transport. While the carbon footprint report for construction focuses specifically on emissions from the list of materials used in construction, for which there is a separate emissions database. It is materials that account for the largest share of emissions in construction.
The carbon footprint of housing is also based on Level(s) targets for resource-efficient energy and water use.
