Calculate your facility's greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint using EPA emission factors. This calculator covers Scope 1 (direct combustion, fleet vehicles, refrigerants), Scope 2 (purchased electricity), and Scope 3 (business travel, commuting, waste) following the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Results are reported in metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MT CO2e) with EPA equivalency comparisons.
Boilers, furnaces, generators, heaters. Add a row for each fuel type.
| Fuel Type | Quantity | Unit |
|---|
Company vehicles and mobile equipment. Enter fuel consumed or miles driven.
| Input Type | Vehicle / Fuel | Quantity | Unit |
|---|
Refrigerant recharged or lost during the reporting year.
| Refrigerant | Amount Lost | Unit |
|---|
Business travel, employee commuting, and waste disposal.
Scope 1 emissions are direct GHG emissions from sources owned or controlled by your organization, including fuel combustion in boilers and furnaces, fleet vehicles, and refrigerant leaks. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity. Scope 3 encompasses all other indirect emissions in your value chain, such as business travel, employee commuting, and waste disposal. The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, developed by WRI and WBCSD, defines these three scopes and is the most widely used international GHG accounting standard.
This calculator uses EPA-published emission factors: eGRID subregional emission rates for electricity (Scope 2), 40 CFR Part 98 Table C-1 and C-2 emission factors for stationary combustion, EPA emission factors for mobile sources, and IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) Global Warming Potentials for refrigerants. All factors are expressed in CO2 equivalent to account for CO2, CH4, and N2O contributions.
CO2 equivalent is a standardized unit that expresses the climate impact of different greenhouse gases in terms of the amount of CO2 that would produce the same warming effect over 100 years. Each gas has a Global Warming Potential (GWP): CO2 = 1, CH4 = 28, N2O = 265. For example, 1 metric ton of methane has the same warming impact as 28 metric tons of CO2, so it equals 28 MT CO2e.
Under EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (40 CFR Part 98), facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of CO2e per year from covered source categories must report annually to EPA through the electronic Greenhouse Gas Reporting Tool (e-GGRT). This threshold applies to direct (Scope 1) emissions. Many states have additional GHG reporting requirements with lower thresholds. California's Cap-and-Trade program, for instance, covers facilities emitting 25,000 MT CO2e or more.
eGRID (Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database) divides the US electrical grid into subregions with different emission factors reflecting the local fuel mix. A region relying heavily on coal will have higher emission factors than one with significant hydroelectric or nuclear capacity. Your utility can identify your eGRID subregion, or use EPA's Power Profiler tool. If unsure, selecting your state will choose the most common subregion for that location.
Track the total amount of each refrigerant type that was added to your systems during the reporting year (recharges). Multiply pounds lost by the refrigerant's GWP, then convert to metric tons by dividing by 2,204.62 lb/MT. Refrigerant emissions are often underestimated but can be significant: 10 pounds of R-410A (GWP 2,088) equals approximately 9.5 metric tons CO2e.
A screening-level inventory using default emission factors typically captures 85-95% of a facility's total emissions and is suitable for initial assessments, goal-setting, and identifying major emission sources. For formal reporting (EPA GHG Reporting, CDP disclosure, third-party verification), you may need source-specific emission factors, continuous emissions monitoring data, and additional source categories not covered in this screening tool.
EPA's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator translates abstract emission numbers into relatable comparisons. Key benchmarks include: one passenger vehicle driven for a year emits approximately 4.6 MT CO2e, one average US home's electricity use produces about 7.94 MT CO2e per year, and one acre of average US forest sequesters approximately 0.84 MT CO2e per year. These help communicate your carbon footprint to stakeholders in meaningful terms.
Greenhouse gas management requires ongoing data collection, calculation, reporting, and reduction tracking. EHS software streamlines these workflows:
Automated Data Collection - Integrate with utility providers, fuel purchase records, fleet management systems, and refrigerant tracking logs to automatically collect activity data. Eliminate manual spreadsheets and reduce transcription errors that compromise your GHG inventory accuracy.
Emission Factor Management - Maintain a centralized library of emission factors (eGRID, EPA, state-specific) with version tracking. When EPA updates factors annually, update once and recalculate across your entire portfolio automatically.
Multi-Facility Roll-Up - Aggregate emissions across multiple facilities, business units, or geographic regions. Generate consolidated corporate inventories while maintaining site-level detail for operational decision-making.
Regulatory Reporting - Generate formatted reports for EPA GHG Reporting (e-GGRT), state climate programs, CDP disclosure, and voluntary frameworks. Track submission deadlines with automated reminders and maintain audit trails for verification.
Reduction Goal Tracking - Set science-based targets or internal reduction goals and track progress over time. Dashboard visualizations show year-over-year trends, scope breakdowns, and distance to targets with automated alerts when off-track.
Scope 3 Supply Chain - Collect and manage supplier emissions data for comprehensive Scope 3 accounting. Track vendor sustainability scorecards and supply chain decarbonization progress.
Click on the "CONTACT US FOR HELP" link below to see these benefits in action with a free trial of Ecesis EHS Software.
Please call us at (720) 547-5102 or complete the form below to learn more about how Ecesis can help you manage greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprint reporting, and environmental compliance.
If you need help calculating greenhouse gas emissions or developing a carbon reduction strategy, please call us at (720) 547-5102.
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