The proposed joint standard seeks to establish a methodology for quantifying embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions across the lifecycle of buildings and their sites.
ASHRAE and the International Code Council have opened the second public review period for a proposed standard for evaluating and documenting greenhouse gas emissions across a building’s life cycle, the organizations announced June 16.
The draft standard, ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P, Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Buildings, is available for public comment through July 21. It is designed to establish a consistent methodology for quantifying embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle of buildings and their sites, setting minimum documentation requirements of those emissions.
“Standard 240P is intended to bring clarity and consistency to how we evaluate embodied emissions throughout the building process,” said ASHRAE President M. Dennis Knight. “By working with the International Code Council, we are helping ensure that building professionals have practical, standardized tools for emissions accounting that align with broader industry needs.”
The proposed standard was first released for public review in February 2024; the collaboration between ASHRAE and ICC was announced in August 2022.
Major proposed changes based on the first public comment draft include refined definitions to improve alignment with industry terminology, a revised global warming potential default metric from GWP-20 to GWP-100 and expanded guidance on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions, among others.
Comments can be submitted on ASHRAE’s website.
