2e:null 2f:["$","title",null,{"children":"How do I work out the carbon footprint of office space? | Chris Adams | Observable"}] 34:T401,md` _How much carbon is emitted by working in an office on a digital project? If we know the emissions per day per person, and we know how long people work on it, we can work this out. You might not use this to optimise used of a building day to day, so much as for reporting to make changes over a longer time period._ For staff to be working on a project for **${noOfDays} days**, and if there is a carbon cost of **${parseFloat(CO2PerDayForEmployee).toLocaleString('en')} tonnes of CO2 per day** to keep them warm and dry (see the workings below), then the carbon emissions from staff time in an office is: **${parseFloat(CO2fromOfficeSpace).toLocaleString('en')} tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent** If we combine this with the emissions from commuting or business travel, then _for knowledge work, or digital services_, we have the majority of our emissions covered, on a day to day basis. Yes there are caveats, but knowing this, helps us work out where to start, so we don't optimise the wrong thing.

`35:T47c,md` The best available figures I can find now are the ones this paper from the [The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)][CIBSE], as recommended by [Jamie Bevor][jamieb] at sustainability consultancy [Green Gumption][greengumption]. > _[Hong, S., 2018. Analysing Trends of Energy Use of Offices and Schools Using Display Energy Certificates, In: CIBSE Technical Symposium, 12-13 April 2018, London, UK][hong.s]_ [jamieb]: https://twitter.com/thatsamoray/ [CIBSE]: https://www.cibse.org/ [hong.s]: https://www.cibse.org/getmedia/86e0626e-5b14-4b4a-a5af-40b132980806/Hong,-Steadman-2013-An-Analysis-of-Display-Energy-Certificates-for-P.pdf.aspx [greengumption]: https://greengumption.co.uk/ They have total Co2 emissions from a sample of different classes of buildings, and they _also_ give figures for total floor space. We should be able to use this to get a high level figure for CO2 emissions per square meters of floor space. If we have that, because numbers exist for roughly how much floor space people allocate per employee, we can get a value to fall back on, if we have _no_ data about the building in use. `36:[] 32:{"id":"d594462f6b38f7a2","slug":"how-do-i-work-out-the-carbon-footprint-of-providing-space-to-w","title":"How do I work out the carbon footprint of office space?","thumbnail":"e98b58a001ec79b9ea97535f8831cefaa7f3440b74ec68dc61b6f5e2bc415313","access_level":"public","create_time":"$D2019-11-07T08:51:10.493Z","update_time":"$D2022-01-10T15:02:26.491Z","view_time":null,"first_public_time":"$D2019-11-07T11:34:00.685Z","has_unpublished_edits":null,"fork":false,"stars":2,"starred":false,"owner":{"type":"team","id":"74c62646267523b1","login":"mrchrisadams","name":"Chris Adams","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4485d83b07fdd5640a847f54d6a5527e7438ab92e66ab96add0b4a2c62ff95ee","tier":"starter_2024"},"version":268,"publish_version":268,"role":null,"authored":false,"authors":[{"type":"individual","id":"00aa12c724a9d8bb","login":"mrchrisadams","name":"Chris Adams","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4485d83b07fdd5640a847f54d6a5527e7438ab92e66ab96add0b4a2c62ff95ee","tier":null}],"members":[{"type":"individual","id":"00aa12c724a9d8bb","login":"mrchrisadams","name":"Chris Adams","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4485d83b07fdd5640a847f54d6a5527e7438ab92e66ab96add0b4a2c62ff95ee","tier":null,"role":"editor"}],"comments":[],"custom_thumbnail":false,"trashed":false,"lapsed":null,"subscribed":null,"forks":1,"collection":{"id":"7a0651be25c88cb6","slug":"green-web-related-calculations","title":"Green Web Related Calculations","owner":{"id":"74c62646267523b1","login":"mrchrisadams","name":"Chris Adams"}},"type":"notebook","body":{"title":"How do I work out the carbon footprint of office space?","cells":[{"id":0,"value":"md`# How do I work out the carbon footprint of office space?`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":172,"value":"$34","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":156,"value":"md`\nStaff days on a project:\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":41,"value":"viewof noOfDays = html`\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":217,"value":"md`\n\nIf you've heard about the emissions from using streaming video, or using computers, then the following notebooks might help too:\n\n- [The carbon footprint of sending data](https://observablehq.com/@mrchrisadams/carbon-footprint-of-sending-data-around)\n- The carbon emissions from using cloud services in your supply chain, if your providers can't , or won't share emissions (TBC)\n\n\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":202,"value":"md`\n

\n## Understanding the workings\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":4,"value":"md`\n\nTo work out these numbers, these are the steps I followed.\n\nStep 1. See what other work has already been done, about tracking energy use and space in buildings.\n\nStep 2. See how to repurpose it, after consulting with people who have done this before.\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":9,"value":"$35","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":63,"value":"md`\n#### Working out a high level CO2 per square meter figure\n\nIf survey from The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) tells us that **${parseInt(TotalOfficeFloorspaceSqm).toLocaleString()} of floor space**, results in **${parseInt(TotalOfficeCO2EmissionsCo2e).toLocaleString()} of carbon dioxide emissions**. So, if we have no bottom-up data, like meter readings, we can use this end up with a figure of **${parseFloat(EmissionsPerSqmInCo2e).toLocaleString('en')} tonnes of CO2 per square metre, each year**.\n\nNB: In the UK, commercial buildings have energy performance certificates, listing CO2 per square metre per year.\n\nIf you know the postcode where you work, you can find a more accurate figure. See the [Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Register, to carry out a lookup by postcode][ndepcregister].\n\n[ndepcregister]: https://www.ndepcregister.com/reportSearchAddressByPostcode.html\n\n\n\n\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":90,"value":"md`\n\n#### Working out a CO2 figure per employee\n\nIf we know the carbon footprint per square meter, then the task is to work out the carbon footprint per employee each year.\n\nWe can do this with two assumptions:\n\n- an employee works a set number of days per year, during which we want to keep them dry, and comfortable, with heating or airconditioning\n- we've set aside space for them to work in\n\nIf we have this, we can get a top level figure, of per employee, per day. Agencies often use this metric for tracking time, so it's a number we ought to have handy.\n\n**How much space per employee?** \n\nThis obviously changes per organisation, but to be on the safe side, let's assume an organisation is at least obeying the law, and in the UK, legally required minimum is 11 cubic metres.\n\nMost guidelines online tend to say 8 to 12 square meters per employee, giving us a average of **10 square meters per employee**.\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":160,"value":"md`\nSpace per employee\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":95,"value":"\nviewof spacePerEmployee = html`\n`\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":196,"value":"md`\n*Finding a figure per employee per year* \n\nCombining these, gives us a rough figure of **${parseFloat(CO2PerEmployeePerYear).toLocaleString('en')}** tonnes of CO2 per employee per year. This is for a _full time equivalent_, so if they work on a project for half a year we'd halve this and so on.\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":144,"value":"md`\n\n### Finding a figure per day on a project.\n\nWe track time in days in agencies. So having a _CO2 emissions per staff day_, makes it possible to work out the figure per project, for use of space.\n\nCO2 emissions per day: ${parseFloat(CO2PerDayForEmployee).toLocaleString('en')} tonnes of CO2\n\nNB: We use energy differently in the winter, so this will vary per season, and this will also vary based on location.\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":49,"value":"html`\n

\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":125,"value":"CO2PerEmployeePerYear = SpacePerEmployeeInSqm * EmissionsPerSqmInCo2e","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":18,"value":"TotalOfficeFloorspaceSqm = 11670000","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":21,"value":"TotalOfficeCO2EmissionsCo2e = 1062048","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":25,"value":"EmissionsPerSqmInCo2e = TotalOfficeCO2EmissionsCo2e / TotalOfficeFloorspaceSqm","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":29,"value":"SpacePerEmployeeInSqm = spacePerEmployee","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":35,"value":"CO2PerEmployee = SpacePerEmployeeInSqm * EmissionsPerSqmInCo2e","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":252,"value":"viewof workingDaysInAYear = html``","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":255,"value":"We use 200 as a default figure for working days in a year rather than rather than the full 365 days in a year, because people are not robots and do not work 365 days a year.\n\n200 working days assumes people have weekends, maybe 10-15 public holidays a year, and 10-20 days of annual leave. This will obviously vary from country to country, and company to company, and whether buildings are used on weekends.\n\nFeel free to change to fit your circumstances.\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":38,"value":"CO2PerDayForEmployee = CO2PerEmployeePerYear / workingDaysInAYear","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":44,"value":"CO2fromOfficeSpace = CO2PerDayForEmployee * parseInt(noOfDays)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":228,"value":"md`\n\n### Further figures for working out common office space\n\n\n- https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/advice/how-much-office-space-do-i-need-57459/\n- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812561/National_Energy_Efficiency_Data_Framework__NEED__report_summary_of_analysis_2019.pdf\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W36","stdlib":"1","titling":"auto"}} 33:"$32:body"