An emission factor states the average greenhouse gas emissions per unit of an activity. It is the building block of all carbon accounting, because it links your consumption data to emissions.

How an emission factor is used

The basic principle is simple: consumption × emission factor = emissions. You take activity data, such as kWh of electricity, litres of diesel or money spent on purchases, and multiply it by the corresponding emission factor. The result is converted to CO2e so that different greenhouse gases can be compared and added up.

• kWh of electricity × emission factor for the electricity mix
• litres of diesel × emission factor for the fuel
• kg of material × emission factor for production

Why documentation matters

Emission factors are updated regularly, and historical data can change. That is why you need to be able to show which emission factors were used and where they came from. It is important to save the method and data basis for each reporting period so the accounts can be verified, for example by an auditor or under CSRD.

Emission factors for electricity

For electricity there are two types of factors: the average factor for the grid, used in the location-based method, and factors based on your electricity purchases, used in the market-based method. Read more under location-based and market-based.

Emission factors in Enity EMS

Enity EMS provides documented emission factors, and you can add your own with supporting documentation, which are then applied automatically to recorded consumption. Factors are linked to meter and emission types and to geographies, so updates are handled in one central place. Sources can be attached as documentation.

Read more

• Standard vs. EMS-based carbon accounting

Related terms

• CO2e
• GHG Protocol
• Traceability and snapshots

See it in action

Want to see how emission factors are handled in Enity EMS? Book a demo and we will show you how it works with your own data.