Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

Carbon emission is the release of carbon into the atmosphere. To talk about carbon emissions is simply to talk of greenhouse gas emissions, the main contributors to climate change.

As much as two-thirds of the energy produced in the U.S. is discarded and released into our environment. Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas lose a lot of energy when converted into electricity. This is called rejected energy. Lawrence Livermore National Labs estimates more than 66% of energy from fossil fuels extraction, processing, burning and transport is rejected and wasted. In comparison, nearly 100% of wind and solar energy transforms into electrical energy that we can use. So, replacing coal, petroleum and other fossil fuels with clean energy resources means far less rejected energy discarded as greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides (best known for creating acid rain).

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases (GHGs). The primary GHG is carbon dioxide (CO₂). Increasing levels of CO₂ and other GHGs are heating our planet. The resulting climate change, in addition to increasing temperatures, causes changes in weather patterns, impacting both humans and the natural environment.

This one is a bit tricky because all renewable energy is carbon-free. But not all carbon-free energy is renewable, for example nuclear energy. Truly renewable energy sources – like energy from wind, solar and geothermal sources – are naturally replenishing.

Carbon neutral and net zero are often used interchangeably. Both terms are used to describe a commitment to eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether or to balance remaining carbon emissions with actions to achieve equivalent carbon savings. These are activities that offset a company’s emissions or that remove CO₂ or other GHGs from the atmosphere through tree planting or artificial carbon capture/sequestration.

Carbon offsets are units of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions that are reduced, avoided or sequestered to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere. Carbon offsets are generated by projects that reduce or avoid CO₂ emissions (like with the use of renewable energy) or that sequester CO₂ – either underground through mechanical means or through natural processes like modified agricultural practices and tree planting. Offsets are denominated in tons of CO₂ equivalents and must generally be certified to a carbon offset standard.

RECs are market-based instruments that represent the property rights to the environmental, social and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation and supply. RECs can be bundled or unbundled from specific projects. Every MWh of clean energy generation can be claimed once as either a REC or an offset, but not both.

Utilities provide data visibility for hourly based views of electricity consumption and the source of grid-sourced energy, which can be renewables or other sources.

A Beginner’s Glossary to Carbon Benchmarking – Compare Your Footprint

This is a measurement of carbon emitted per unit of energy consumed. It can be measured as pounds of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour of electricity. One way to reduce carbon intensity is to switch to using renewable energy.

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support human activities, both directly and indirectly. It can be attributed to an individual, organization, country, etc. and is usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Activities like driving, heating, and food production have associated CO₂ emissions. The carbon footprint is then the sum of all these emissions that were induced by activities within a given time frame (usually a year).

Also known as carbon intensity, the emission factor (EF) is the amount of carbon emissions released for every 1 MWh of electricity generated by the power plants on your grid. This tool calculates the EF based on a mix of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It’s measured at the grid’s balancing authority level.

Also known as your carbon footprint, this is the amount of CO₂ generated for the year by your home’s consumption of electricity. These emissions are calculated by multiplying the emission factor (EF) by your electricity usage for the calendar year shown.