10. Buildings and materials

Grey energy is the sum of the grey energies of each of the materials and equipment used to construct a building. To this must be added the energy consumed in transporting these materials to the construction site by the various vehicles. What's more, some materials and equipment need to be replaced during their lifetime. At the end of its life, the building needs to be deconstructed, which generates additional energy requirements. However, routine building maintenance is not included in grey energy, as it forms part of operating energy.

Databases are used to assess the grey energy of materials, but they are not always consistent with each other. In France, the INIES database contains environmental and health data sheets (fiches environnementales et sanitaires - FDES). These have now been replaced by EPDs (Environmental Product Declaration), in line with new European...