How to calculate how much carbon you use

Add the amounts for each energy type and mode of travel you or your organisation use in rows (1) to (8) in the ‘carbon calculator’ table below to obtain your ‘carbon footprint’ in CO₂ emissions expressed as kilograms per year (kg/year).

If you are calculating your individual footprint, remember to divide each total in (1), (2) and (3) below by the number of people in your household. Compare your figure with the average domestic figure of about 5,500kg/yr. 

In order to restrict atmospheric CO₂ concentrations to about one-and-a-half times those of the pre-Industrial Age, we need to reduce our emissions by 60% to 80% by 2050. 

So we should be working towards reducing average domestic emissions to as little as 1,100kg/yr.

The total figure for the UK, including industry etc, is 11,000kg/yr per head of population.

Click here for ways of reducing your carbon consumption.

Carbon calculator

Energy type/mode of travel	Enter quarterly consumption in kilowatt hours	Multiply by	Obtain CO2 emissions (kilograms)	Multiply by	Obtain annual CO2 emissions (kg/yr)
Energy type
(1) Electricity		0.43	=	4	=
(2) Gas		0.19	=	4	=
(3) Oil		0.29	=	4	=
Mode of travel	Enter weekly mileage
(4) Car (petrol)		0.33	=	52	=
(5) Car (diesel)		0.20	=	52	=
(6) Train		0.10	=	52	=
(7) Bus		0.05	=	52	=
(8) Plane		0.20	=	52	=
Add figures in last column to obtain your 'carbon footprint' »

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