Life cycle carbon emissions (LCO2), made up of operational and embodied carbon, have become a major metric of building environmental performance and energy efficiency. Whilst there are now standard methods for operational carbon assessment due to its significance in LCO2, there is still less emphasis on embodied carbon counting. However, the relative contribution of embodied carbon is on the rise as buildings become increasingly energy efficient. Following the rule that only something which is measurable is manageable, it is essential that we are able to accurately count embodied carbon. This study therefore reviews the concept of LCO2 in buildings and further investigates the open source UK tools for embodied carbon counting. A comparative evaluation case study, which validates an earlier review, showed that there is no logic and consistency in the carbon figures produced by embodied carbon counting tools. This is mainly due to different system boundaries, varying underlying assumptions and methodological differences in calculation. The findings suggest that an industry-agreed data structure and common methodology is needed for embodied carbon counting. Generally, the study provides insights into the use and capabilities of the identified open source UK embodied carbon counting tools, and is relevant to the on-going debate about carbon regulation.

中文翻译：

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生命周期内的碳排放量以及对部分英国开源嵌入式碳计数工具的比较评估

生命周期的碳排放量（LCO2）由可操作的和包含的碳组成，已成为建筑环境性能和能源效率的主要指标。尽管由于其在LCO2中的重要性，现在已经有了用于操作性碳评估的标准方法，但仍很少强调具体的碳计数。然而，随着建筑物变得越来越节能，内含碳的相对贡献正在增加。遵循仅可测量的事物是可管理的规则，至关重要的是我们能够准确地计算所包含的碳。因此，本研究回顾了建筑物中LCO2的概念，并进一步研究了英国用于实现碳计数的开源工具。一项比较评估案例研究，该研究证实了较早的审查，结果表明，内置的碳计数工具产生的碳图没有逻辑性和一致性。这主要是由于不同的系统边界，不同的基本假设以及计算方法的差异。研究结果表明，具体的碳计数需要行业认可的数据结构和通用方法。通常，该研究提供了对已确定的英国开源碳计数工具的用途和功能的见解，并且与正在进行的有关碳管制的辩论有关。研究结果表明，具体的碳计数需要行业认可的数据结构和通用方法。通常，该研究提供了对已确定的英国开源碳计数工具的用途和功能的见解，并且与正在进行的有关碳管制的辩论有关。研究结果表明，具体的碳计数需要行业认可的数据结构和通用方法。通常，该研究提供了对已确定的英国开源碳计数工具的用途和功能的见解，并且与正在进行的有关碳管制的辩论有关。