Energy Usage

The following information has been taken directly from an Australian company webpage  - ecospecifier.com.au. 

"Overview
According to research by the Federal Government, buildings are responsible for significant environmental impacts (30 % of the raw materials used, 42 % of the energy, 25% of water used, 12% of land use, 40% of atmospheric emissions, 20% of water effluents, 25% of solid waste and 13% of other releases) (Australian Federal department of Industry Science and Tourism 1998).

If we look at the broader infrastructure including bridges, roads and so forth, materials account for upwards of 70% of our total materials flows globally. The figure is believed to be similar in Australia. Much of our total building activity, including associated infrastructure, is associated with residential development.
Materials used in house construction impact on almost every aspect of sustainability including:

Raw-resource extraction impacts on the physical environment for example cutting down tropical forests for window or flooring timbers, or chemical spills from poorly managed mines for metal, paint or ceramic products
Non- renewable resource depletion, including oil, and resource quality degradation, such as pollution of water
Greenhouse gas emissions from energy production in all stages of material manufacture and use
Waste leading to lanfill burdens, some of them toxic.
According to Australian research if we look at one indicator of environmental impact, energy consumption, it takes as much energy to make a standard brick veneer house as it does to run one for fifteen years (Commonwealth of Australia 2002).

As well as environmental impacts, which are often hard to locate or quantify precisely, there can be significant human health impacts. These include from emissions from products polluting indoor air over many years, to short term high-level emissions in construction (such as painting) through to long-term health issues such as ground-water contamination from leachates from landfill.

Building materials were one of the important factors identified in a 2002 report that identified “indoor air quality is a most significant environmental issue that has not been seriously addressed in this country. Unhealthy indoor air is costing the Australian community an estimated $12 billion a year. Australia is failing its responsibilities of a 'duty of care' to protect the community in the environment where we spend most of their time" (Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand 2002). "

TAKEN FROM ecospecifier.com.au
December 2005
Materials Impacts in Construction