Under development
This page is under development and some information may be missing or inaccurate.
⚡️ Energy Module: Operational Energy in Reduzer
The Energy Module calculates greenhouse gas emissions related to your building's operational energy use, corresponding to life cycle phase B6. Accurately calculating these emissions is crucial for meeting climate goals and requirements of sopme schemes.
📊 Data Requirements and Input
For Reduzer to perform energy calculations, you must provide the following data in the Energy section of your version.
| Required Input | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered Energy (kWh) | The total energy delivered to the building over a defined period (typically per year). | Project's Energy Report or Consultant |
| Energy Source | You must specify the source (e.g., electricity, district heating) and provide a delivered energy value for each one. | Project's Energy Report or Consultant |
💡 Important Energy Source Nuances
The platform uses emission factors that are often site- and scheme-specific:
District Heating (Fjernvarme): Emission factors for district heating depend on the area and supplier. In a FutureBuilt context, emissions can vary significantly based on the local energy mix. Reduzer has noted regional differences, such as Trondheim having a higher emission factor for surplus heat from waste incineration (75.02%) compared to Oslo (53.96%).
FutureBuilt Zero (FBZ) Schemes: The FBZ scheme typically requires non-linear emission graphs that account for technological development over time. Be aware that some energy entries in Reduzer may use constant emission figures, which assumes the current emission level is optimal.
⚙️ Calculations, Schemes, and Results
The results displayed in the Energy Module are dictated by the specific boundary conditions (ex. certification scheme) you select (ex., TEK17, NS 3720, FutureBuilt ZERO).
Operational Carbon (B6): The B6 phase is only calculated if it is included in your chosen scheme's system boundary. For instance, the "Ground and foundations" subscheme for FutureBuilt ZERO does not include B6, but the "ZERO v3 - Alt inkludert" subscheme does.
Output Metrics: Reduzer calculates the total operational carbon (CO₂, kWh) as well as Exported Energy (kWh). These results can be viewed in the result figures under "Energy use" and are included when exporting data to Excel.
Workflow Tips and Known Limitations
The operational energy workflow is primarily manual to ensure you always use project-specific data.
Workflow Considerations
Manual Input is Required: Energy use (B6) and Transport (B8) are not automatically added to a version, even when importing data from other LCA tools. You must add these manually in the Energy section.
Automodel Assumptions: If using the Automodel, it will generate standard energy assumptions (e.g., 40 kWh/m² for a residential block). Always check and manually adjust these to match your project's specific energy report, location, and supplier.
Adding VVS (HVAC): The VVS automodel is available to assist with these systems.
Current Limitations
⚠️ Editing Energy Sources
If you need to change the primary energy source (e.g., from electricity to district heating), you currently cannot edit the source within an existing entry. You must delete the energy entry and create a new one with the correct source and data. We are working on simplifying this workflow.