When it comes to sustainable renovation, there’s one big blind spot that has been overlooked for too long: carbon emissions during the design phase. While most retrofit projects now include energy assessments before and after implementation, the carbon impact of design choices is rarely considered.
That’s a missed opportunity.
Because when it comes to deep energy retrofits, many of the most important decisions are made long before construction begins. The materials, systems and design choices selected at this stage largely determine the overall carbon footprint of a project.
To help address this, LIFE project Cosme Reno developed the Simple Carbon Tracker: a lightweight, user-friendly tool that helps SMEs assess the carbon impact of different retrofit design options early in the process.
Why this matters
Design decisions have a significant impact on a project’s carbon footprint. Yet for many SMEs, assessing that impact has traditionally been too complex, too time-consuming, or too costly.
The Simple Carbon Tracker changes that.
It enables design teams to:
- compare different material and system options
- understand carbon impact across the lifecycle
- make more informed decisions from the start
By making carbon visible early on, the tool supports better alignment between designers, manufacturers, logistics partners and maintenance providers. It creates a shared basis for discussion, helping teams move towards more integrated and scalable renovation solutions.
See how it works
To introduce the tool and the challenge it addresses, we created a short video that highlights the importance of carbon in early design decisions and shows how the Simple Carbon Tracker can support this process.
Explore the tool
The Simple Carbon Tracker is designed to be practical, fast and easy to use — supporting SMEs in making better decisions without adding complexity.
Click the link to access the tool and watch the instruction video on how to get started.
The Simple Carbon Tracker is developed as part of the LIFE Cosme Reno project, which supports SMEs in delivering scalable deep energy retrofits across Europe.
