Microsoft have had the facility to add custom toolbars and buttons on the ribbon in Excel on PC’s for some time. Tim Martel has created one for the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) called PHribbon which speeds up common tasks and extends what PHPP can do. The tools do exactly what you could have done by hand, but quicker and reducing user error. It has been marketed through the AECB for almost 7 years. PHribbon is intended for v10 PHPPs though most of it (apart from the window tool) is also suitable for older files you may have in v8.5, 9.1, 9.3 and 9.6.
For those not using PHPP, the AECB Carbon Calculator is an alternative product that uses an entirely separate spreadsheet.
The two videos below give an overview of PHribbon and Carbon Calculator and the rest of this page gives detail for Whole Life Carbon, which is common to both. The further resources in PHribbon are covered in these pages Building PHPP, Daylight Factor and Retrofit Costs.
What’s the difference?
PHribbon and AECB Carbon Calculator are very similar for the Whole Life Carbon calculations. All the images above apply equally to the Carbon Calculator except that the Carbon Calculator does not correct dimensions to give volumes of material.
| Features List | AECB Carbon Calculator | PHribbon |
|---|---|---|
| To be used with energy software | SAP or any other | Only PHPP |
| Embodied Carbon Calculation | ✓ can use materials from U-value calcs you give | ✓ using some materials from your PHPP |
| Whole Life Carbon Calculation | ✓ manually enter the results from your software | ✓ automatically taken from your PHPP |
| LETI, RIBA, est of UKNZCBS results | ✓ | ✓ |
| Helps you work out the RICS Uncertainty factor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add your own EPDs using a form with guidance notes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data source | Library of ~1000 entries | Library of ~1000 entries |
| Update button to update previous calculations | ✓ | |
| Can correct dimensions to get accurate volumes of each material | ✓ corrects PHPP external dimensions | |
| Build PHPP tools | ✓ | |
| Optional module: Daylight Factor | ✓ | |
| Optional module: Retrofit Costs including PAS2035 Improvement Option Evaluation | ✓ |
Whole Life Carbon
- Works out quantities from PHPP using the U-value and Area tabs, and you can also use the extra large U-value calcs. PHribbon v6.08 onwards can also correct those external areas so that the volume of materials is accurate for each layer.
- Built-in library of ~1000 entries, mainly from EPDs, containing the Whole Life info for stages A-D including sequestration for timber/natural materials.
- 60 year Reference Study Period (which can be changed to 50 for Ireland).
- Matches materials automatically and allows you to adjust the choice where necessary. You can also filter the list to show just the UK/Ireland or Europe.
- Remembers materials so that when you select them again it remembers the EPD you chose last time.
- Density of some materials can be adjusted, for example mineral fibre insulation if installed at a different density.
- 100% FSC/PEFC certified wood is assumed (affects the sequestration calculation), or if it is not, you can give the % that is.
Entering data is easy, you select entries from your U-value calculations in the left 3 boxes and PHribbon matches likely materials on the right. You can also use the search box (as below) if there is a better name for the material. Below are shown the screens for buttons 1,2,3 and 4 in the main menu.
Results
(1) “Heat map” of CO2. Redder entries show what materials and what stage have high CO2. Greener entries show sequestration:
(2) For up to 12 of your options, the embodied CO2 is divided up (left) and the whole life carbon graph is given (right).
(3) Main results page lists various results for each of your options (you can have up to 12) showing
UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard estimate (currently still pilot)
RIBA and RIAI levels reached
LETI results and graph
