Methodology
Our carbon calculator is based on up to date UK emissions data from a variety of top journals, energy companies, government departments, and independent studies. Our goal is to make a quick and easy to use calculator that is backed by verified data.
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We use tonnes as a short hand for tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. And we use carbon as a shorthand for the main greenhouse gases associated with global warming.
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1. Household
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Electricity & Gas data: determined by the current cost per kWh, multipled by the grid carbon factor (2019 - 2020).
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Renewable electricity tariff: does not reduce the impact to 0 as it is reflective of the current mix of renewable electricity available in the UK, which is currently around 30%.
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Adults in property: ensures that you are taking specifically your footprint into account
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2. Travel
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The vehicles listed are based on UK Government statistics on transport emissions across a variety of different modes of transport. (2017)
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The calculations involve mainly the type of transport, engine size, fuel of combustion, and distance travelled.
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3. Flights
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Data based on carbonindependent.org and Air Transport Action group for emissions.
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We have also used parts of the methodology from the ICAO carbon emissions calculator for flights from the UN
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4. Food & Diet
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Data is sourced from the UK Government's carbon emissions statistics on produce.
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Data also sourced from carbonfootprint.com and carbon trust report: https://www.carbonindependent.org/files/ctc603.pdf
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5. Purchasing
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Generic products were listed as part of a typical shop in the UK. Items were measured specifically based on their carbon footprint from UK Government Data (2017).
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The issue with spend is that some items may be more expensive that others despite having a lower footprint, but on average the categories are used to determine quantity of products purchased. This is a recognised methodology in carbon footprinting Scope 3 items.
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6. Your Data
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Your data is stored in our database. If requested we can delete this data with immediate effect. However, the data stored is for the purpose of emailing your results, with any subsequent correspondence we send giving you the option to opt out/unsubscribe.
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For any further information on our web based carbon calculator, please get in touch and we'll do our best to answer any query you may have!