Essay:

EE: SPOLD

SPOLD (www.arch.vuw.ac.nz/cbpr/embodied_energy/system.htm)

The system developed for routine collection of embodied energy data was a database. The commercial program SimaPro fits most of the criteria in data specification developed in the 1997 study. The SPOLD format used by SimaPro has an added advantage; it provides an internationally recognised format for the collection and exchange of data on all environmental impacts, not just embodied energy.

A database specification was developed for the collection and processing of embodied energy information. The commercial program SimaPro fits most of the criteria in this specification. The SPOLD format used by SimaPro provides an internationally recognised format for the collection and exchange of data on all environmental impacts, not just embodied energy. The program itself is in use around the world: ATHENA, Canada; BRE, UK; Eco-Quantum, Netherlands; Franklin Life Cycle Inventory, USA; Sintef environmental building, Norway. The advantages afforded by its user-friendly interface, SPOLD structured data format, encompassing of other environmental impacts and industry acceptance far outweigh the limitations of the program identified in the implementation of the New Zealand embodied energy database