CIBSE and Cerclos have agreed a partnership that will put verified embodied carbon data for building services products using the CIBSE TM65 methodology directly into eTool, the life cycle assessment platform used by design engineers around the world.
Verified data for MEP products
Building services are among the hardest parts of a building to account for in a whole life carbon assessment. Although improving, few mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) products carry an environmental product declaration (EPD), so engineers have often relied on generic figures or manufacturers’ own estimates.
CIBSE’s TM65, published in 2021, gave the industry a consistent way of estimating a product’s embodied carbon where no EPD exists. The missing piece was confidence that any individual calculation had been done correctly.
The Embodied Carbon Verification (ECV) scheme closes that gap. Run by CIBSE Certification, a wholly owned subsidiary of CIBSE, it independently checks manufacturers’ CIBSE TM65 calculations for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, electrical and public health products. The scheme follows ISO 17065, the standard for product certification bodies. Product families are certified for three years, with annual surveillance to pick up changes in materials or manufacturing.
The ECV scheme currently lists over 500 individual products, from a range of established MEP manufacturers. CIBSE Certification aims to significantly grow the scheme over the following years, providing more third party verified embodied carbon data to the industry.
From ECV Register to API
Building on the success of the ECV scheme, the natural next step was to highlight and amplify the important work being done by manufacturers involved in the ECV scheme..
CIBSE is doing that through a new application programming interface (API). The new CIBSE TM65 Verified API provides a live, structured feed of verified CIBSE TM65 data from the ECV scheme that software platforms can connect to directly. Carbon assessment tools will be able to access verified embodied carbon figures straight from CIBSE as soon as they are published.
That brings three practical gains:
- One source: Every connected tool draws on the same verified dataset, so two engineers assessing the same product start from the same number.
- Accurate data: As products are added or certificates change, connected tools can reflect the update instantaneously. This is particularly important in the face of major changes happening to CIBSE TM65, such as the integration of Circular Ecology’s IC+ Database of material carbon factors.
- Traceability: A figure in an assessment can be traced back to a CIBSE Certification certificate, which matters when results are reviewed by clients, planners or rating bodies.
This development offers a clear benefit for manufacturers too. Verified products become visible inside the tools where specification decisions are made, strengthening the case for putting products through the verification process.
What this means for eTool users
eTool is Cerclos’ life cycle assessment (LCA) platform for building design teams. It models whole buildings across the EN 15978 life cycle stages, aligns with the RICS whole life carbon methodology, and produces reports for schemes including BREEAM, LEED and Greater London Authority submissions.
For building services engineers, this partnership means easier access to trusted embodied carbon values for MEP equipment. Verified product data will sit alongside eTool’s existing library of life cycle inventory data, EPDs and templates, and it makes the features that matter most at design stage even more useful:
- Hotspot analysis to see where carbon is concentrated, from a whole building right down to a single system.
- Scenario optioneering to compare alternative products or system designs within one model.
- Life cycle costing to weigh carbon against cost over the design life.
The result is a shorter route from a manufacturer’s verified claim to a real design decision. Engineers can choose lower-carbon plant on evidence, and show clients exactly where that evidence came from.
About the author
Ben Arnold is software product manager at CIBSE