BRE Green Guide is Here at Last

The BRE Green Guide became available to all on Friday 6th June. ‘Now that we have all had an opportunity to view it, it is important to remember why it has been produced and how it shall be used,’ says BRE.

‘We are delighted that the BFRC base window design and so the GGF data sheet 2.2 specification has been used as the bases for establishing the environmental performance of windows. Data Sheet 2.2, produced by the GGF to enable average values and base line calculations to be undertaken by the industry is becoming more and more important in the Environmental and Energy Rating markets as a basis upon which to calculate and compare product performance in the Fenestration Industry.’

Of all UK Carbon Emissions
28 percent come from Domestic Buildings.
15 percent come from Commercial and Public Sector Buildings.
7 percent comes from Construction Materials!

‘As we know the country, including, Architects and Specifiers are becoming more and more aware of the Environmental impact of everything that we do which affects the Environment. For this reason BRE has been working to produce a, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which assess a product or component's impact across the whole of its Life Cycle. It will help all to make decisions about which products we should use to have the least detrimental effect overall. As explained in the special edition of last weeks GlassNotes these LCA's are based around 13 different 'Impact Categories' and the updated Green Guide analyses these for many construction materials and then puts them into various classifications based on the Eco Points they get from how they ‘score’ in those various categories.

‘Currently only about 5 percent of all decisions are made on this basis but the growing need to ensure that we are ahead of demand is why it has been considered so important to be aware of the environmental impact of our products and ensure they get as high a rating as possible.

‘As can be seen the Green Guide acts as an important link between Bream's Environmental Profiles and the Code for Sustainable Homes. The later is going to form a more and more important part of the decision making process when Specifiers make decision on how to comply with the various constraints placed on them when putting together their requirements for their various projects.

‘Windows and Doors manufactured in all of the main materials are included in the Guide showing their environmental impact and you can access the information about them free by logging on and registering at: http://www.thegreenguide.org.uk should you be asked for it when quoting against a specification.

‘The online guide will continue to develop in scope and a paper version will be available later this year. It will go on to form a single portal for construction product environmental information. The Federation will continue to be involved in its development, where we can contribute, through our membership of the Construction Products Association.’

Further information is available from Ian Chisholm, GGF Deputy Chief Executive and BFRC Director on ichisholm@ggf.org.uk.