An integrated framework for embodied energy quantification of buildings in China: A multi-regional perspective

The construction industry has grown as the major energy consumer in China's economy with the rapid development of urbanization, continually increasing the stress on the environment, healthcare, and economy. Therefore, this study developed an integrated framework for embodied energy quantification of China's buildings from a multi-regional perspective. This article builds on previous work on embodied energy quantification and develops an optimized algorithm that illustrated how the technological difference and the regional features are calculated as indices of embodied energy quantification at the project level, using multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis, structural path analysis (SPA), and process-based LCA model as the underlying methods. The structure of the proposed framework using calculative modules as well as the data sources are specified. The application of the analytical framework in real building cases demonstrates that it can provide valuable information of detailed embodied energy distribution through the whole supply chain. The implementation of the proposed framework can facilitate decision-makers to examine the effects of changes in geographical location, building type, and building structure on the total embodied energy consumption.