Welcome to the NY Wa$teMatch Building Materials Reuse Calculator. This program helps you to estimate the environmental benefits of salvaging and reusing building materials, rather than buying and installing new ones.

The calculator measures the environmental benefits of reusing building materials in terms of 10 avoided negative environmental impacts (global warming, acidification, eutrophication, fossil fuel depletion, water intake, criteria air pollutants, ecological toxicity, human health, ozone depletion, smog) and in terms of the embodied energy that the materials contain, which is preserved when the materials are reused. These impacts are explained in the Guide to Environmental Benefits.

This tool assumes that reused materials take the place of new materials. Accordingly, the results measure the environmental impacts that would have resulted from extracting and processing raw materials, making them into finished materials, and transporting them from the factory to their points of use. The results also measure the energy that would have been required to produce equal amounts of new products, based on the embodied energy contained in the reused product.

This calculator is intended for businesses, agencies, organizations and individuals interested in measuring the impact of reusing building materials on the environment.

The calculator is available for downloading to registered users of the NY Wa$teMatch Materials Exchange. Not a member? Register now.

The BEES Model

The NY Wa$teMatch Building Materials Reuse Calculator calculates results based on data from BEESŪ (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) version 3.0, a software program developed by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Building and Fire Research Laboratory. BEES enables users to compare the environmental and economic performance of different building materials, based on certain assumptions about how those products are manufactured, shipped, installed, and maintained.

The BEES Model takes a multidimensional life-cycle approach, that is, it considers multiple environmental and economic impacts over the entire life cycle of the building product. The BEES life-cycle assessment generates environmental performance scores for building product alternatives sold in the United States. These were combined with economic performance scores to help the building community select cost-effective, environmentally-friendly building products.

The products used in BEES 3.0 include about 80 brand-specific products submitted by manufacturers in the United States. The BEES results do not apply to products sold in other countries where manufacturing and agricultural practices, fuel mixes, environmental regulations, transportation distances and labor and material markets may differ. Manufacturers who wish to submit their product for a BEES analysis should contact NIST. More information about BEES

The Building Materials Reuse Calculator does not allow users to enter their own assumptions about materials. Instead, the underlying materials data have certain assumptions built in. Accordingly, the results generated may be inaccurate for some users (to whom the built-in assumptions may not apply). The main assumptions NY Wa$teMatch used to generate the underlying data for the Reuse Calculator are:

1. The building materials that are salvaged and reused take the place of new materials. Therefore, salvage and reuse avert the environmental impacts associated with the three initial stages of a new material's life cycle, namely: raw materials, manufacturing, and transportation. It does not avert the environmental impacts associated with the use and end-of-life stages, because the salvaged materials will be used and ultimately reach the ends of their lives.

2. All products are assumed to have been transported 500 miles from their point of manufacture to their point of use. (BEES allows users to select this transportation distance before calculating environmental impacts.)

Limitations

The Building Materials Reuse Calculator only calculates the avoided environmental impacts when salvaging and reusing an existing material. Because there is generally not a choice between the reuse of existing materials, this tool is not designed to do a comparative analysis. This tool simply calculates the environmental impacts prevented by reuse as compared to using the same virgin material. It should also be noted that because the different environmental impacts are measured in different units, and because the purpose of the tool is to measure "actual environmental impacts prevented" there is no need to "weight and tally" the total environmental score - the absolute value for each environmental indicator is valuable information.

Accordingly, certain limitations on BEES results also apply to the results of the Building Materials Reuse Calculator. The calculator produces U.S. average performance results for generic and manufacturer-specific products. The results do not apply to products sold in other countries where manufacturing and agricultural practices, fuel mixes, environmental regulations, transportation distances, and labor and material markets may differ. (The Reuse Calculator applies to products manufactured in other countries and sold in the United States. However, it does not apply to those same products as sold in other countries because transport to the United States is built into their environmental data.) Furthermore, all products in a generic product group are not created equal. Product composition, manufacturing methods, fuel mixes, transportation practices, and useful lives can vary for individual products in a generic product group. Results for the generic product group do not necessarily represent the performance of an individual product. (This paragraph was adapted from the BEES User Guide.)

User Guide

Click on the download link to launch the calculator then follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the Start Calculator worksheet to open the calculator.

Step 2: Select the materials that you have salvaged for reuse. Click the down arrows to display the building elements.

Step 3: Enter the quantities of those materials that you have salvaged.

Step 4: Click the Calculate button to compute the per unit and total benefits of the material.

Step 5: Click the Add Material button to include the material to the Benefits report worksheet. Repeat steps 2 to 5 to add more materials.

Step 6: Click View Report to display a complete listing of materials you have selected and their overall environmental benefits. To remove a material from the list, enter the row number of the material on the Benefits report keypad and click Delete Row. Use the scroll buttons (Up, Down, Left, Right) to navigate through the report.

Step 7: Click Download to save the report to your hard drive, or you may print the report.

Step 8: Click Exit to close the calculator form. To exit the program completely, click the Close button on the Excel program window or Exit from the File menu. Click No in the File Save dialog box. Users cannot save any changes to the program.

Environmental Benefits

The NY Wa$teMatch Building Materials Reuse Calculator measures the environmental benefits of salvaging and reusing building materials in terms of 10 avoided negative environmental impacts and in terms of the embodied energy that the materials contain, which is preserved when the materials are reused. These impacts are explained below. NY Wa$teMatch has adapted the explanations given in the BEES User Guide.

Global Warming (measured in g CO2 equivalents)
The Earth absorbs radiation from the Sun, mainly at the surface. This energy is then redistributed by the atmosphere and ocean and re-radiated to space at longer wavelengths. Some of the thermal radiation is absorbed by “greenhouse” gases in the atmosphere, principally water vapor, but also carbon dioxide, methane, the chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone. The absorbed energy is re-radiated in all directions, downwards as well as upwards, such that the radiation that is eventually lost to space is from higher, colder levels in the atmosphere. The result is that the surface loses less heat to space than it would in the absence of the greenhouse gases and consequently stays warmer than it would be otherwise. This phenomenon, which acts rather like a “blanket” around the Earth, is known as the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon. The environmental issue is the increase in the greenhouse effect due to emissions generated by humankind. The resulting general increase in temperature can alter atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, which can potentially lead to alteration of circulation and weather patterns. A rise in sea level is also predicted due to thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of polar ice sheets.

The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures the avoided impact on global warming in grams of carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide are included in the analysis through conversion to equivalent grams of carbon dioxide.

Acidification (measured in mg H+ equivalents)
Acidifying compounds may in a gaseous state either dissolve in water or fix on solid particles. They reach ecosystems through dissolution in rain or wet deposition. Acidification affects trees, soil, buildings, animals, and humans. The two compounds principally involved in acidification are sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Their principal human source is fossil fuel and biomass combustion. Other compounds released by human sources, such as hydrogen chloride and ammonia, also contribute to acidification.

The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures the avoided impact on acidification in grams of hydrogen ions. Acidifying compounds are converted to equivalent grams of hydrogen ions.

Eutrophication (measured in g N equivalents)
Eutrophication is the addition of mineral nutrients to the soil or water. In both media, the addition of large quantities of mineral nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, results in generally undesirable shifts in the number of species in ecosystems and a reduction in ecological diversity. In water, it tends to increase algae growth, which can lead to lack of oxygen and therefore death of species like fish.

The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures the avoided impact on eutrophication in grams of nitrogen equivalents. Nutrifying compounds are converted to equivalent grams of nitrogen equivalents.

Fossil Fuel Depletion (measured in surplus MJ)
Fossil fuel depletion is at the heart of the sustainability debate. It is important to recognize that this impact addresses only the depletion aspect of fossil fuel extraction, not the fact that the extraction itself may generate impacts. Extraction impacts, such as methane emissions from coal mining, are addressed in other impacts, such as global warming.

The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator assesses fossil fuel depletion in terms of how the amount of energy required to extract a unit of energy for consumption changes over time. Characterization factors have been developed permitting computation of a single index for potential fossil fuel depletion, surplus megajoules (MJ), that can be used to assess the surplus energy requirements from the consumption of fossil fuels.

Water Intake (measured in L)
Researchers are beginning to address water resource depletion to account for areas where water is scarce, such as the Western United States. It is important to recognize that this impact addresses only the depletion aspect of water intake, not the fact that activities such as agricultural production and product manufacture may generate water pollution. Water pollution impacts, such as nitrogen runoff from agricultural production, are addressed in other impacts, such as eutrophication. Water intake is recorded in liters, and is used directly to assess this impact.

Criteria Air Pollutants (measured in MicroDALYs)
Criteria air pollutants are solid and liquid particles commonly found in the air. They arise from many activities including combustion, vehicle operation, power generation, materials handling, and crushing and grinding operations. They include coarse particles known to aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, and fine particles that can lead to more serious respiratory symptoms and disease. Disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs, have been developed to measure health losses from air pollution. They account for years of life lost and years lived with disability, adjusted for the severity of the associated unfavorable health conditions.

Ecological Toxicity (measured in g 2,4-D equivalents)
This impact measures the potential of a chemical released into the environment to harm terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures potential ecological toxicity in grams of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid (2,4-D). Other chemicals with potential ecological toxicity are convert to equivalent grams of 2,4-D.

Human Health (measured in g toluene equivalents)
There are many potential human health effects from exposure to industrial and natural substances, ranging from transient irritation to permanent disability and even death. Some substances have a wide range of different effects, and different individuals have widely varying tolerances to different substances. The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator adopts and extends the approach to evaluating human health impacts used by TRACI (the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts developed by the U) and extended by the BEES 2.0 Peer Review Team. (This approach does not include occupational health effects.) The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator uses grams of toluene to measure avoided potential human health effects (e.g cancer and non-cancer related aliments).

Ozone Depletion (measured in g CFC-11 equivalents)
The ozone layer is present in the stratosphere and acts as a filter absorbing harmful short wave ultraviolet light while allowing longer wavelengths to pass through. A thinning of the ozone layer allows more harmful short wave radiation to reach the Earth’s surface, potentially causing changes to ecosystems as flora and fauna have varying abilities to cope with it. There may also be adverse effects on agricultural productivity. Effects on man can include increased skin cancer rates (particularly fatal melanomas) and eye cataracts, as well as suppression of the immune system. Another problem is the uncertain effect on the climate. The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures potential ozone depletion in grams of CFC-11, with impacts from other ozone-depleting substances converted to equivalent grams of CFC-11.

Smog (measured in g NOx equivalents)
Under certain climatic conditions, air emissions from industry and transportation can be trapped at ground level, where they react with sunlight to produce photochemical smog. One of the components of smog is ozone, which is not emitted directly, but rather produced through the interactions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Smog leads to harmful impacts on human health and vegetation. (In the NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator, the smog impact does not account for indoor VOCs that make their way outdoors.) The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures avoided smog in terms of grams of nitrogen oxides, with other smog-forming compounds converted to equivalent grams of nitrogen oxides.

Embodied Energy (measured in MJ)
Embodied energy is the collective amount of energy used to produce a given product, including all the energy used to make the raw material into the finished product and the transportation used to carry it through the manufacturing process and to its final place of sale or use. The NY Wa$teMatch Reuse Calculator measures embodied energy in megajoules.

Acknowledgements

The NY Wa$teMatch Building Materials Reuse Calculator could not have been produced without the help of others. NY Wa$teMatch offers special thanks to Barbara C. Lippiatt of the National Institutes for Standards and Technology, who coordinated the development of BEES and provided NY Wa$teMatch with invaluable guidance on adapting BEES data for its own use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 2 office deserves thanks for supporting this software project as well as NY Wa$teMatch's other efforts related to the reuse of building materials. We especially recognize Lorraine Graves of the Region 2 office for her interest in and commitment to promoting environmentally sustainable building practices. Finally, we thank the New York City Department of Sanitation for its general support of the NY Wa$teMatch program.

Contact Information

Any questions regarding the Building Materials Reuse Calculator may be addressed to:

NY Wa$teMatch
c/o MEDP
City College of New York
Steinman Hall, Rm 102
140th Street & Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
Phone: 212-650-5832
Fax: 212-650-6272
info@wastematch.org