Carbon Footprint and the New Facilities Vocabulary

Peter O’Konski PE, PMP, LEED AP

Director, Facility PolicyOffice of ManagementDepartment of Energy

June 2, 2009 1

Agenda

1. Secretary’s comments and the global

warming challenge

2. What constitutes a green house gas

3. Introduction to carbon footprint calculation

4. Impact on facilities management & real

estate

5. Conclusions

June 2, 2009 2

1. Secretary’s comments and the global warming challenge

June 2, 2009 3

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

NY TimesJune 2, 2009 4

The Secretary on Global Warming

“We're in the great ship Titanic, the Earth is, and it's going to take a half century to really turn the ship. But that doesn't mean we can't start doing it today, and we must…”

Secretary ChuNewsweek 4/11/09

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Continued…

“…I urge everyone to do this: Google the IPCC report. The 100-year trend is unmistakable…”

Secretary ChuNewsweek 4/11/09

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SPM 1a

Variations of the Earth’s surface temperature for the past 140 years

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SPM 1b

Variations of the Earth’s surface temperature for the past 1,000 years

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Projections – This Century

“Could Adapt”

“Tipping Points”

“No Adaption Strategy”

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Main climate impacts

• Sea levels rise

• Higher temperatures - especially

on land

• Hydrological cycle more intense

• Changes at regional level

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2. What constitutes a green house gas (GHG)

June 2, 2009 11

SPM 3

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Green House Gases (Counted in a Carbon Footprint)

• Carbon dioxide, CO2

• Methane, CH4

• Nitrous Oxide, N2O• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and Chlorofuorocarbons

(CFCs) (covers 13 chemicals)• Perfluorocarbons, PFCs (covers 7 chemicals)• Sulfur Hexafluoride, SF6

ANSI/ISO/NSF 14064-1 Greenhouse Gases- Part 1: Specification with Guidance at the Organizational Level for Quantification and Reporting of GHG Emissions and Removals

Not all GHGs contain carbon

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Not All GHGs are Equal

Greenhouse GasGlobal Warming

Potential

Carbon Dioxide, CO2 1.0

Methane, CH4 21

Nitrous oxide, N2O 310

HFC 134a 1,300

Sulfur hexafluoride 23,900

All GHGs Converted to a CO 2 EquivalentJune 2, 2009 14

Example: GHG CalculationExample Calculation- Converting to CO2-e

GHGEmissions

(Metric Tons)

Global Warming Potential

Metric Tons CO2-e

Carbon Dioxide

10,000 1 10,000

Methane 500 21 10,500

HFC 134a 1.0 1300 1300

Sulfur hexafluoride

0.06 23,900 1434

Totals 23,234June 2, 2009 15

Combustion Emission Factors

Process/FuelEmission Factor

Emission Factor Units

Coal Combustion

Anthracite 102.58 kg CO2/MMBtu

Bituminous 92.53 kg CO2/MMBtu

Sub-bituminous 96.12 kg CO2/MMBtu

Lignite 95.47 kg CO2/MMBtu

Natural Gas 119.90 lbs CO2/1000 cf

52.80 metric tons CO2/Billion

Btu

Aviation Gasoline 18.15 lb CO2 /gallon

Diesel (No. 1 and No. 2) 22.15 lb CO2 /gallon

Gasoline 19.36 lb CO2 /gallon

Jet Fuel (Kerosene) 20.88 lb CO2 /gallon

Fuel Oil (No. 5 and 6) 25.75 lb CO2 /gallon

Propane 12.60 lb CO2 /gallon

June 2, 2009 16

3. What is a “Carbon Footprint” calculation?

Carbon Footprint has three aliases: “Carbon Inventory”

“Green House Gas Inventory” “Climate Change Footprint”

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Carbon Footprint – 3 Scopes

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Remember: there are three levels (scopes) to a green house gas/carbon footprint calculation.

Scope 1: Direct Emissions

• Relatively easy:– Combustion Sources– Site owned vehicles– On site electrical

generation– CFC and HFC losses from

refrigeration equipment– Sulfur hexafluoride losses

from electrical equipment

June 2, 2009 19

Scope 2: Indirect Emissions – Purchased Energy

• Relatively easy: • Emissions from

consumption of purchased utilities:– Typically electricity– Could be steam or high

temperature hot water– Could be negative (ex:

electricity from landfill gas)

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Scope 3: Other Indirect Emissions

• Can be very difficult:– Transportation of purchased material or goods– Employee business travel– Employee commuting impacts– Outsourced work– Emissions from finished products– Transportation of waste– Vegetation & Trees

• Scope 3 has various challenges– Boundary issues– Can be a magnitude higher than Scope 1 and 2– Costly value chain analysis

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Carbon Footprint – 3 Scopes

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Carbon footprint calculations must include at least Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions.

Two Additional Terms of Art:1. Carbon neutral

• The “word of the year” in the new Oxford Dictionary– Adj.: “emitting no net carbon dioxide into the

atmosphere”

• Dictionary.com– Adj: “emitting no carbon dioxide into the

atmosphere. Also, employing a technique to absorb carbon dioxide so it is not emitted.”

June 2, 2009 23

2. Cap and Trade

• A regulatory process:– Cap - limits emissions from a designated group,

such as power plants, to a certain level– Capped emissions are divided up into individual

permits– Trade - businesses buy and sell emission credits

within the overall cap

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4. Impact on Facilities Management and Real Estate

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Facilities and Real Estate

• Recognize that fundamental change is happening– GHG, carbon neutrality, energy conservation are

all part of a new facilities vocabulary

– GHG and carbon management need to be part of the facilities value-chain decision making

• Construction and Major Renovation

• Operations and Maintenance and Repair

• Disposition

June 2, 2009 26June 2, 2009

The most carbon neutral building is the building you don’t have.

Facilities and Real Estate•Potential new E.O. for carbon management

– Measure, manage, reduce

– Probably based on a scope 1 and 2 analysis

•I expect each site will be required to know their carbon footprint

– 70% of which can be a direct result of the building and OSF inventory

• A phase I&2 carbon footprint at the building level draws heavily from “operating cost” and “sustainability”

•Can FIMS capture carbon footprint at the real property asset level?

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5. Conclusions

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• Get familiar with your facilities “carbon footprint”

• Think carbon footprint reduction as a matter of good business

• Think about where the source data lies for a phase 1&2 calculation

• Help to forward lean – we need to be a leader not a follower

June 2, 2009 29

Conclusions

Thank you

Peter O’Konski PE, PMP, LEED AP

Director, Facility PolicyOffice of ManagementDepartment of Energypeter.okonski@hq.doe.gov202.586.4502

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