ERA Releases New And Improved Construction Equipment CO₂ Calculator

The European Rental Association (ERA) has released a new and improved ERA Equipment CO2 Calculator, which now allows users to directly compare two separate scenarios for using construction equipment.

Michel Petitjean, ERA Secretary-General, said:

“By providing direct comparisons of distinct scenarios, it is much easier for equipment stakeholders to evaluate different options when using construction equipment. This means that they can make the most sustainable choices and minimize their impact on the environment.”

The ERA Equipment CO2 Calculator was first released in January 2021 and is a free-to-use online tool to enable equipment stakeholders to make more sustainable choices when using construction equipment. The Calculator determines the carbon footprint of construction equipment over its entire lifecycle and is applicable to all types of equipment, from mini excavators and wheel loaders to generators, boom lifts, and access platforms. The results provide an estimate of the carbon footprint per hour of use, allowing construction equipment users to, for example, compare different use scenarios, investigate which part of the lifecycle contributes most to the carbon footprint, and evaluate the effects of alternative fuel choices. The Calculator can be used to evaluate a single ownership period of one piece of equipment and, furthermore, to determine the climate impact of entire fleets of equipment or the total carbon footprint of all machines on a given construction site.

ERA AND ITS PURPOSES

The ERA Equipment CO₂ Calculator is a tool to estimate the carbon footprint of construction equipment over its entire life cycle. It is applicable to all types of construction equipment, from mini excavators to wheel loaders and from generators to boom lifts (only hand tools are excluded).

This tool permits to control and calculation of the carbon footprint:

• Investigate which part of the life cycle has the largest contribution to the carbon footprint of equipment;
• Compare different equipment use scenarios;
• Study the effects of changes to a baseline use scenario, such as measures to reduce the footprint;
• Evaluate the effects of alternative fuel consumption.

Source: European Rental Association