To find out if you’re reducing your carbon emissions, you need to know what your carbon footprint is, before you start whatever it is you’re going to do to try and lessen your carbon footprint. And then measure it again later.

You can link from this website to carbon calculators on other websites. These calculators are the most thorough and easy to use that I could find.

When you’ve calculated your carbon footprint, if you’d like to create a carbon footprint group on Energy Royd, you can share info and maybe get a sense of what’s happening over the area as a whole.

Before you start to calculate your carbon footprint…

…it’s worth understanding there are different ways of measuring carbon emissions, for instance there’s a difference between production carbon emissions, and consumption carbon emissions. A production carbon emissions measurement only takes into account the carbon emissions you produce – for example from the fossil fuel energy you use to heat and light your house. Taking into account your consumption carbon emissions – all the carbon emissions that were produced in making and transporting the things you consume – gives a much higher, more accurate and socially fair picture of your carbon footprint.

Carbon calculators for individuals and households

You can make a quick carbon footprint calculation, without having to enter information from domestic energy bills and MOT. Or you can do a more thorough calculation using information from your domestic energy bills and MOT certificate if you have a vehicle.

The Quicksilver Carbon Calculator is an Excel-based tool to help householders calculate their annual carbon footprint.  Low Carbon Hub, which created the Calculator, says:

“This comprehensive calculator uses information about domestic energy use, travel and food and consumption choices to provide a comprehensive picture of your carbon footprint.”

iMeasure is supported by Oxford University – using it contributes to buildings research at the Low Carbon Futures Centre in the University’s Environmental Change Institute, as well as allowing you to monitor and find ways to reduce your household energy emissions. To use it, you need to record your meter readings for gas, electricity and/or oil.

Carbon calculators for small or medium businesses and other small organisations

There used to be a free Basic carbon footprint calculator for  small and medium businesses and other organisations on the Carbon Trust website, but it seems to have vanished since I created this page. I’ll see if I can find an alternative.