MEP Embodied Carbon

The Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to the Beginner's Guide to MEP Embodied Carbon, a comprehensive resource developed through cross-industry collaboration between MEP 2040 and the Carbon Leadership Forum. This guide addresses a critical gap in building decarbonization efforts by focusing on MEP systems, which can account for up to 27% of product stage embodied carbon, 52% of overall embodied carbon (excluding operational carbon), and 73% of whole life carbon. Whether you're new to embodied carbon concepts or looking to enhance your existing knowledge, this guide provides practical methodologies, material selection strategies, and actionable steps to measure and reduce the carbon impact of MEP systems. From detailed BIM takeoff techniques to real-world case studies, we've created this resource to empower manufacturers, designers, owners, contractors, and policy makers with the tools needed to move from measurement to meaningful carbon reduction in MEP systems.

The guide includes:

• Detailed MEP BIM takeoff methodologies

• Material selection guidance for high-impact systems

• Default embodied carbon values for data-poor categories

• Category-specific decarbonization strategies

• Life cycle calculation breakdowns with uncertainty guidelines

• A real-world case study: University of Illinois' Wymer Hall

• Actionable steps for all stakeholders

Whether you're integrating MEP systems into your carbon assessments or looking to understand and reduce your systems' impact, this guide provides practical methodologies to move from measurement to meaningful action. We encourage you to download the guide, share it with your networks, and continue your valuable contributions to reducing MEP whole life carbon.