embodied energy

Refers to the quantity of energy required to make and transport a material or item; from the mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and product delivery.  Embodied energy does not include the operational energy used over the life of that finished material or item (such as the electricity used to run a washing machine or building); nor does it cover the disposal of that material or item. This would be considered in a life cycle approach. So embodied energy is the ‘front-end’ component of the lifecycle impact of a material or item.

Embodied energy is generally considered when constructing environmentally-friendly buildings and homes, with a primary objective being to ensure that the completed building has used materials and items that together provide the best performance for the smallest footprint.

Some materials and items have high-embodied energy (they take more energy to make and transport), while others have naturally low-embodied energy. Low-embodied energy materials are not necessarily ‘better’ than high-embodied energy materials; instead, look to the total embodied energy of a building project or item.