Bricks provide long-term environmental benefits, which offset their embodied energy.
Building with bricks will pay dividends in the future, as bricks are:
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Long lasting - The long life of bricks prevents the continual reinvestment in embodied energy at short intervals.
Low maintenance - Rendering, painting and sealing adds to the building’s costs and has associated environmental impacts.
Durable and strong - Designing for strength, robustness and durability will help to ensure the long life of a home.
Healthy - Bricks have virtually no emissions and are so safe that they can be specified for people with acute allergies.
Reusable and recyclable - As bricks have a long-life they can be reused with their original properties intact. Bricks are inert and can be recycled as filling and stabilising materials and aggregates
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Source: Your Home, Technical Manual, Sec 1.7,
Australian Greenhouse Office |
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As part of a well-designed building, the thermal mass in bricks can:
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Significantly reduce operational energy |
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Achieve thermal comfort naturally |
By naturally moderating temperature fluctuations, the thermal mass in bricks can be used to reduce the reliance on artificial forms of heating and cooling. This can significantly reduce the energy used during the life of a home as space heating and cooling uses the largest proportions of energy in an average Australian home (AGO, 1999).
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For further information please refer to the following brochures:
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Embodied Energy & Life Cycle Analysis Background Paper:
Examines the concept of embodied energy and its context in the energy consumed over the lifetime of an average house. |
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>> Download PDF (350KB) | |
