Carbon footprint of a
MHC Construction stone house

For several years now, builders of projects with MHC Construction frame installation have received a carbon footprint calculation for their detached houses in connection with energy certificate calculations. The carbon footprint of Jämerä houses is on average 14 kgCO₂e/m²/year. The calculation considers the building’s lifecycle carbon emissions over 50 years, meaning that per square meter of living area, emissions are 14 kg annually. This annual emission per square meter is equivalent to approximately 100 km of driving, 14 liters of milk, and 3 sauna heating sessions.

The largest share of the total carbon footprint of Jämerä houses comes from energy consumption during use, which accounts for about one-third of the lifecycle emissions over 50 years. After that, the largest sources of emissions come from the lightweight concrete frame, glass facades, HVAC technology, and construction phase emissions, which together also account for about one-third of the lifecycle emissions.

Design solutions can influence total emissions

The carbon footprint of a detached house can be influenced by decisions made during the design phase. Based on the summary of carbon footprint calculations for different projects and comparison calculations for an example project (2 floors, 195 m², geothermal heating house):

  • The size of the building affects total emissions; efficient floor space usage and a slightly smaller building lead to lower emissions.

  • Some solutions are the same as those for reducing energy consumption, but not all. A thicker block results in slightly higher carbon emissions over a 50-year calculation period, while more insulating windows (from 0.9 → 0.7 W/m²K) bring about a 1% reduction. In reality, the lifespan is longer, and the importance of more energy-efficient solutions grows over time.

  • The most significant single choice for detached houses is the heating method. In the example project, among heat pump options, geothermal heating had the lowest carbon footprint; the district heating option’s carbon footprint was 33% higher.

  • Increasing the number of windows by 10% raised the carbon footprint by 1%.

  • Minimizing air leaks is worthwhile, as better airtightness in a house (1 vs. 2 m³/hm²) reduced the carbon footprint by 1%. Best of all, the cost for this is simply careful sealing work.

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+1 (407) 820‑0649‬
daniel_etiene@hotmail.com

Climate emissions from detached house construction

The construction and real estate sector is one of the largest contributors to climate emissions, which makes the industry’s efforts to reduce them important. Construction uses various natural resources as raw materials, and their extraction, manufacturing, transportation, as well as the construction process itself, generate carbon dioxide emissions. Another significant factor is the heating and cooling energy consumed during the building’s lifecycle.

Many builders might assume that the simple answer to the climate challenge is to switch building materials to wood. However, comparative calculations show that the difference in the carbon footprint between a lightweight concrete structure and a massive timber frame in a detached house is small, amounting to only a few percentage points. In a lightweight concrete house, the manufacturing climate emissions are slightly higher, but on the other hand, during use (over a 50-year calculation period), the energy consumption is clearly lower.

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Contact Section
+1 (407) 820‑0649‬
daniel_etiene@hotmail.com