Emission Factor Catalogue
Every number in CountingCarbon comes from one of the formulas and factors below. Nothing is hidden.
Data source: Emission factors are from the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors , updated annually. Released under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL) . © Crown Copyright.
Calculation categories
Home Energy periodic 5 line items
Gas, electricity and other heating fuels, with solar export credit.
Natural gas gas
Inputs:
kwh
(kWh)
decimal
Formula v1:
kwh * factor("gas_kwh")
From your meter or bill, in kWh.
Grid electricity import electricity_import
Inputs:
kwh
(kWh)
decimal
Formula v2:
kwh * factor("elec_grid_kwh")
Electricity drawn FROM the grid only — exclude solar self-consumption.
Heating oil (kerosene) heating_oil
Inputs:
litres
(litres)
decimal
Formula v2:
litres * factor("heating_oil_litre")
LPG lpg
Inputs:
litres
(litres)
decimal
Formula v2:
litres * factor("lpg_litre")
Solar export credit solar_export
Inputs:
kwh
(kWh)
decimal
Formula v2:
-1 * kwh * factor("elec_grid_kwh")
Electricity exported to the grid. Counts as a credit (negative emissions) at the avoided grid rate.
Transport periodic 10 line items
Road and rail travel. Flights are logged separately as individual journeys.
Petrol car car_petrol
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("car_petrol_km")
Diesel car car_diesel
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("car_diesel_km")
Electric car car_ev
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("car_ev_km")
Plug-in hybrid car car_hybrid
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("car_hybrid_km")
National rail rail
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("rail_national_km")
Underground / metro underground
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("rail_underground_km")
Bus bus
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("bus_local_km")
Coach coach
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("coach_km")
Ferry (foot passenger) ferry
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("ferry_foot_km")
Motorbike motorbike
Inputs:
km
(km)
decimal
Formula v1:
km * factor("motorbike_km")
Flights event 1 line item
Individual flight log. Each journey is recorded with route, passengers, distance and class.
Flight flight
Inputs:
route
text
passengers
(people)
integer
distance_km
(km)
decimal
is_return
boolean
cabin_class
choice
Formula v1:
passengers * distance_km * (1 + is_return) * IF(distance_km <= 3700, factor("flight_short_economy"), IF(cabin_class = 2, factor("flight_long_business"), factor("flight_long_economy")))
One-way distance in km; tick return for round trips. Short-haul threshold 3,700 km. Factors include radiative forcing (x1.9).
Food & Diet annual_estimate 16 line items
Quick estimate by diet type, or detailed breakdown by food group. Use one approach, not both.
High meat diet (daily) diet_high_meat
Inputs:
people
(people)
integer
Formula v1:
people * factor("diet_high_meat_person_year")
Medium meat diet (few times/wk) diet_medium_meat
Inputs:
people
(people)
integer
Formula v1:
people * factor("diet_medium_meat_person_year")
Low meat / pescatarian diet_low_meat
Inputs:
people
(people)
integer
Formula v1:
people * factor("diet_low_meat_person_year")
Vegetarian diet_vegetarian
Inputs:
people
(people)
integer
Formula v1:
people * factor("diet_vegetarian_person_year")
Vegan diet_vegan
Inputs:
people
(people)
integer
Formula v1:
people * factor("diet_vegan_person_year")
Beef & lamb beef_lamb
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_beef_lamb_kg")
Pork pork
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_pork_kg")
Poultry poultry
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_poultry_kg")
Fish & seafood fish
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_fish_kg")
Dairy dairy
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_dairy_kg")
Eggs eggs
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_eggs_kg")
Vegetables (fresh) vegetables
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_veg_kg")
Fruit fruit
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_fruit_kg")
Cereals & bread cereals
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_cereals_kg")
Legumes & tofu legumes
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_legumes_kg")
Nuts nuts
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("food_nuts_kg")
Purchases & Consumption annual_estimate 12 line items
Goods and services — annual household estimates by spend or item count.
New clothing clothing
Inputs:
kg
(kg)
decimal
Formula v1:
kg * factor("clothing_kg")
Online clothing returns clothing_returns
Inputs:
parcels
(parcels)
integer
Formula v1:
parcels * factor("clothing_return")
New smartphones smartphones
Inputs:
units
(units)
integer
Formula v1:
units * factor("smartphone_unit")
New laptops / tablets laptops
Inputs:
units
(units)
integer
Formula v1:
units * factor("laptop_unit")
New TVs tvs
Inputs:
units
(units)
integer
Formula v1:
units * factor("tv_unit")
Large appliances appliances
Inputs:
units
(units)
integer
Formula v1:
units * factor("appliance_unit")
Furniture furniture
Inputs:
gbp
(GBP)
decimal
Formula v1:
gbp * factor("furniture_gbp")
Garden / DIY garden_diy
Inputs:
gbp
(GBP)
decimal
Formula v1:
gbp * factor("garden_diy_gbp")
Restaurant meals restaurants
Inputs:
meals
(meals)
integer
Formula v1:
meals * factor("restaurant_meal")
Hotel nights hotels
Inputs:
nights
(nights)
integer
Formula v1:
nights * factor("hotel_night")
Streaming & gaming streaming
Inputs:
hours_per_week
(hours/week)
decimal
Formula v1:
hours_per_week * 52 * factor("streaming_hour")
General online shopping online_shopping
Inputs:
gbp
(GBP)
decimal
Formula v1:
gbp * factor("retail_general_gbp")
Emission factor sets
Consumption — Berners-Lee / WRAP / DEFRA GB · valid from 1 Jan 2024
Source: Berners-Lee, M. (2020) 'How Bad Are Bananas?'; WRAP Textiles 2023; DEFRA/DESNZ spend-based supply-chain intensities; manufacturer lifecycle analyses · Published values, cited per factor
| Key | Value | Unit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
appliance_unit |
200.000000 | kg CO2e/unit | Berners-Lee 2020: large appliance mid-point |
clothing_kg |
20.000000 | kg CO2e/kg | WRAP Textiles 2023: ~20 kg CO2e per kg textile |
clothing_return |
3.500000 | kg CO2e/parcel | Berners-Lee 2020: online return round-trip |
furniture_gbp |
0.360000 | kg CO2e/GBP | UK spend-based supply-chain intensity: furniture |
garden_diy_gbp |
0.300000 | kg CO2e/GBP | Berners-Lee estimate: garden/DIY products |
hotel_night |
8.000000 | kg CO2e/night | Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark / Berners-Lee: mid-range UK/EU |
laptop_unit |
300.000000 | kg CO2e/unit | Berners-Lee 2020 (refurbished ~100) |
restaurant_meal |
4.000000 | kg CO2e/meal | Berners-Lee 2020: average restaurant meal incl. energy |
retail_general_gbp |
0.320000 | kg CO2e/GBP | DEFRA spend-based factor: general retail |
smartphone_unit |
70.000000 | kg CO2e/unit | Manufacturer LCAs (Apple et al.): manufacturing-dominated |
streaming_hour |
0.018000 | kg CO2e/hour | IEA 2023 / Carbon Trust: 1 hr HD streaming |
tv_unit |
400.000000 | kg CO2e/unit | Berners-Lee 2020: 50-inch TV embodied carbon |
DESNZ 2024 GB · valid from 1 Jun 2024
Source: UK Government Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors 2024 · Open Government Licence v3.0
| Key | Value | Unit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
bus_local_km |
0.103120 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Bus: local bus (average) |
car_diesel_km |
0.168440 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Cars (by fuel): average diesel car |
car_ev_km |
0.047190 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Cars: battery electric (incl. upstream electricity) |
car_hybrid_km |
0.090390 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Cars: plug-in hybrid average |
car_petrol_km |
0.170590 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Cars (by fuel): average petrol car |
coach_km |
0.027260 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Bus: coach |
elec_grid_kwh |
0.207070 | kg CO2e/kWh | DESNZ 2024, UK electricity: generation |
elec_kwh |
0.207070 | kg CO2e/kWh | DESNZ 2024, UK electricity: generation |
ferry_foot_km |
0.118750 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Ferry: foot passenger |
flight_long_business |
0.428750 | kg CO2e/pax-km | DESNZ 2024, Flights: long-haul business class, with radiative forcing (x1.9) |
flight_long_economy |
0.195210 | kg CO2e/pax-km | DESNZ 2024, Flights: long-haul economy, with radiative forcing (x1.9) |
flight_short_economy |
0.255100 | kg CO2e/pax-km | DESNZ 2024, Flights: short-haul economy, with radiative forcing (x1.9) |
gas_kwh |
0.182860 | kg CO2e/kWh | DESNZ 2024, Fuels: natural gas (gross CV) |
heating_oil_litre |
2.520200 | kg CO2e/litre | DESNZ 2024, Fuels: burning oil (kerosene) |
lpg_litre |
1.553400 | kg CO2e/litre | DESNZ 2024, Fuels: LPG |
lpg_litres |
1.553400 | kg CO2e/litre | DESNZ 2024, Fuels: LPG (average) |
motorbike_km |
0.113700 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Motorbike: average |
oil_litres |
2.520200 | kg CO2e/litre | DESNZ 2024, Fuels: burning oil (kerosene) |
rail_national_km |
0.035490 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Rail: national rail |
rail_underground_km |
0.027540 | kg CO2e/km | DESNZ 2024, Rail: London Underground |
Food — Poore & Nemecek / Berners-Lee GB · valid from 1 Jan 2024
Source: Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. (2018) 'Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers', Science 360(6392); Berners-Lee, M. (2020) 'How Bad Are Bananas?' (rev. ed.) · Published academic values, cited
| Key | Value | Unit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
diet_high_meat_person_year |
3300.000000 | kg CO2e/person/yr | Aggregate: daily meat-eater, P&N 2018 / Berners-Lee 2020 |
diet_low_meat_person_year |
1900.000000 | kg CO2e/person/yr | Aggregate: low meat / pescatarian |
diet_medium_meat_person_year |
2500.000000 | kg CO2e/person/yr | Aggregate: meat a few times per week (approx. UK average) |
diet_vegan_person_year |
1100.000000 | kg CO2e/person/yr | Aggregate: vegan |
diet_vegetarian_person_year |
1700.000000 | kg CO2e/person/yr | Aggregate: vegetarian |
food_beef_lamb_kg |
27.000000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: beef & lamb (combined typical) |
food_cereals_kg |
1.400000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: cereals & bread |
food_dairy_kg |
3.200000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: dairy average (cheese ~21, milk ~3.2/litre) |
food_eggs_kg |
4.500000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: eggs (~18 eggs/kg) |
food_fish_kg |
5.100000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: fish average (wild ~3, farmed salmon ~12) |
food_fruit_kg |
0.700000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: fruit average (air-freighted much higher) |
food_legumes_kg |
1.000000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: legumes, pulses, tofu |
food_nuts_kg |
2.300000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: nuts |
food_pork_kg |
12.100000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: pig meat |
food_poultry_kg |
6.900000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: poultry meat |
food_veg_kg |
0.500000 | kg CO2e/kg | P&N 2018: fresh vegetables average |