MEP 2040 COMMITMENT

Following the advent of the SE 2050 Commitment, a group of engineers and designers convened in January of 2021 to discuss embodied carbon emissions within the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) industry. Searching for a way to galvanize the industry to radically reduce embodied carbon in their projects, the working group developed a data-driven commitment to guide firms toward total life cycle decarbonization. The MEP 2040 Challenge was formally launched by the Carbon Leadership Forum in October of 2021 with the goals of zero operational carbon by 2030 and zero embodied carbon by 2040. EwingCole joined the MEP 2040 Commitment in 2022.

Buildings are the largest global contributor of carbon emissions. Operational (MEP) use makes up roughly 30% of the carbon emissions and embodied carbon makes up approximately 10%. The construction and design industry made significant strides in producing highperforming buildings by reducing operational carbon, but embodied carbon for MEP systems went largely neglected. The embodied carbon of a material is is defined through a product lifecycle assessment (LCA)- a process that defines the environmental impact of making and using said product. Lifecycle assessments that include cradle-to-gate scope are rare for MEP equipment, and most manufacturers do not have the data needed to provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), a summary of LCA data. Through advocacy and outreach we aim to influence the MEP equipment manufacturing industry to start providing EPDs for all products. While we wait for manufacturers to produce EPDs, designers can start with incorporating low global warming potential refrigerants and understanding how they can contribute to a healthier planet.

EWINGCOLE’S COMMITMENT

The MEP 2040 Commitment consists of 4 criteria that the firm pledges to uphold:

Establish a company plan

– Set clear targets and evolve targets as needed yearly

– Define action items to reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions

– Measure and report progress annually

Request low GWP refrigerants

– New advanced refrigerants are on the horizon. All engineers should be prepared for the phase out of the previous generation of refrigerants by actively embracing, and requesting, low GWP refrigerants from equipment manufacturers.

Request EPDs

– EPDs detail carbon emissions during the stages of the product life cycle

– Designers and engineers should request an EPD for every piece of equipment with the goal of eventually having one available for all products. Project Specifications will be updated to include this request.

Timelines And Targets

Our targets and timeline are derived from the MEP 2040’s established targets and imply a continued trajectory of improvement from each milestone. They are as follows:

Establish a Baseline

Develop a system to gather and track data as it relates to embodied carbon within MEP Systems.

Use data driven methods to establish a baseline for operational and embodied carbon emissions across all projects.

30% Reduction in Embodied Carbon Emmissions

Implement carbon reduction strategies and track data across all projects.

Re-evaluate carbon reduction strategies annually based on performance against baseline to achieve 30% reduction by 2030

60% Reduction in Embodied Carbon Emissions

Continue to evolve carbon reduction efforts to achieve a 60% reduction from baseline.

Participate in quarterly forums

– The Carbon Leadership Forum hosts a quarterly forum to report findings, share information and lessons learned, and network with other leaders in the field.

– Each firm signed onto the commitment must have representation at the meeting.

Accountability Methods

– EwingCole’s MEP 2040 working group will complete the first version of the commitment-specific action plan. This will be the foundation and roadmap to completing the goals of the MEP 2040 Challenge. The action plan will build on the timeline above and the content listed herein to provide more detailed strategies and action items. The action plan will be a living document that will be reviewed and updated regularly.

– The EwingCole MEP 2040 working group will hold monthly meetings from the outset to ensure that core action items are being tracked and implemented by the intended date. Each action item will have an assigned leader responsible for completing the task by a defined date. When it is deemed appropriate, meetings will move to a quarterly basis to share new information and updates following the CLF quarterly meeting.

– EwingCole will have a presence in each of the national MEP 2040 working groups dedicated to a specific commitment. The elected people participating in the groups will share information gained with the rest of the EwingCole MEP 2040 working group, in the monthly meetings.

– EwingCole’s MEP 2040 working group will annually issue a report to the firm showing the collected data and how the implemented strategies have influenced carbon emissions across all projects. This report will help to steer the group’s effort and strategies for the following year.

Project Process Integration Project Management

– Project engineers will plan to document and report requests for low GWP refrigerants and EPDs in equipment selections.

2040

100% Reduction in Carbon Emissions

Attain as close to 100% reduction in total building lifecycle carbon emissions across all projects.

2045

Continued Tracking and Improvement

Continue to stay vigilant with carbon reduction strategies and produce high performing buildings with little to no environmental impact.

– Project engineers will plan to do life cycle cost analyses for large equipment.

Project Initiation

– Project proposals will highlight EwingCole’s commitment to achieving the goals of MEP 2040. This will give full transparency for design decisions made to achieve these goals.

EC Standards

– Standards will be updated to define how system refrigerants are documented and selected. It is to be determined whether the standard will be to include refrigerant type on mechanical schedules or in specifications.

– As EPDs become available for certain pieces of equipment, master specifications will be altered to require EPDs to be provided as a part of the submittal process.

Market and Region Variations

Electrification

– Certain states such as New York and California are starting to restrict natural gas burning equipment. The intent is to take advantage of cleaner, more efficient electric grids in the future. As a national firm, we will stay informed of all legislation in this area and learn important implementation lessons to apply in other regions.

Europe vs US Low GWP Refrigerants

– Next generation refrigerants are currently available in European markets. In the US, they will be available for large chiller systems within the next year, packaged systems in 2 years, and smaller split systems within 3 years.

EPD Availability

– There is a rough timeline for EPD availability for different equipment. Packaged equipment, VRF systems, PTACs, and condensers will be the first of such have EPDs available around 2024.