The selection of green building materials and products is by far the most controversial task in sustainable construction. Determining the merits of building materials and products in terms of their recycling value, which seems to be a simple matter, is a very controversial topic in building assessment systems. This paper suggests a method to assess energy savings by recycling building materials, which can be a potential indicator of recycling worth. The method takes account of material selection, construction and deconstruction technologies, and the frequency of recycling. The result of this study can be used in assessment tools as a factor separate from the embodied energy. Since embodied energy affects the potential recycling energy, another factor is defined, based on these two factors, in order to make it possible to compare and select materials correctly, based on their embodied energy and recycling potential. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.