A study on the environmental impact of home construction provides further evidence to support the fact that a wood framed home requires less energy and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than homes framed with steel or concrete.
Conducted in 2004 by the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM), the study is one of many steps being taken by the scientific community to provide a clear picture of how building materials compare to each other and their environmental impacts.
STUDY SPECIFICS
Twenty-three independent researchers collaborated on the project, which used a process called life cycle assessment (LCA) to weigh the environmental impacts of home construction. Among other things, the study gauged the energy required to produce building materials, and to construct, maintain and demolish a typical home over a period of 75 years.
“HYPOTHETICAL” HOMES
Researchers evaluated the life cycles of hypothetical homes framed with wood and steel in Minneapolis, and with wood and concrete in Atlanta. They determined that the steel framed home required 17 percent more energy to construct than the matching wood framed home, and that the home framed with concrete used 16 percent more energy than its wood framed counterpart.
The energy tallied for the study included everything from the fuel required to extract and haul materials, produce steam in the lumber mill and generate electricity in the steel mill, to the power needed to heat and cool the home over its lifetime.
AFFECTS OF CARBON EMISSIONS
The study also concluded that the carbon emissions associated with energy use represent one of the more important environmental impacts. For example, to determine the global warming potential of different materials, the researchers considered carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions generated during the life cycles of the homes, and the length of time these greenhouse gases linger in the atmosphere. They estimated the global-warming potential of the steel-framed home to be 26 percent higher than its wood-framed counterpart, and the concrete-framed home to be 31 percent higher than the similar home framed with wood.
REDUCING IMPACT
The report offers additional suggestions on how to help reduce the energy demands of home construction, including:
- Redesigning houses to use less fossil-fuel intensive products
- Changing building codes that result in excessive use of wood, steel and concrete
- Recycling demolition wastes
- Increasing durability of homes through improved products and construction practices
To see the entire study, click here.
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