Carbon Neutral Calculator

Good Energy has developed this carbon neutral calculator to help individuals and households calculate their total greenhouse gas emissions and then take action by purchasing an amount of renewable energy certificates to offset the calculated carbon footprint.

Instructions for using the calculator:

To get the most accurate results, gather your recent electric, gas, and/or oil bills so you can use real numbers for your household's energy consumption.
After entering data, use the TAB key to continue moving through the calculator.
The calculator is designed to give you a rough "ballpark" estimate of your emissions, based on certain assumptions, as detailed below the calculator.

Assumptions:

Transportation

Pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent are calculated based on EPA's estimate of the greenhouse gas emissions from a typical passenger vehicle in the United States. A gallon of gasoline is assumed to produce 8.8 kilograms (or 19.4 pounds) of CO₂. This number is calculated from values in the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 600.113-78, which EPA uses to calculate the fuel economy of vehicles, and relies on assumptions consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. Estimates of the typical values for fuel economy and miles driven per week are from the same source. Note that EPA's emissions estimates are lower than estimates obtained through fueleconomy.gov, because EPA's estimates are for tailpipe emissions only. The fueleconomy.gov site estimates emissions over the full fuel lifecycle (including extraction, processing, and transportation of fuel).

Air travel per-mile emissions are significantly affected by the length of the flight because a high percentage of fuel use and emissions are expended on take-off. Therefore we ask for number of short, medium, long, and extended flights. The default input is simply the number of each type of flight, defined as each leg of a flight such that a round trip flight with one stop each way has four legs. If this default is used we estimate an average length of 250 miles for a short flight, 800 miles for a medium flight, 2500 miles for a long flight, and 5000 miles for an extended flight.

Different emissions factors are used for each flight length, as follows:
•Short flight(less than 900 miles): 0.64 lbs CO₂/mile
•Medium flight(900 to 3199 miles): 0.45 lbs CO₂/mile
•Long flight(3200 miles and plus): 0.39 lbs CO₂/mile

Round Trip Flight Co₂ Emissions
From	To	Miles	CO₂ emissions(lbs)	Ratio(lbs/mile)
New York, NY	Philadelphia, PA	188	120	0.64
New York, NY	Raleigh, NC	852	545	0.64
New York, NY	Fayetteville, NC	957	430	0.45
New York, NY	San Antonio, TX	3,168	1,425	0.45
New York, NY	Denver, CO	3,240	1,263	0.39
New York, NY	San Francisco, CA	10,312	4,021	0.39
New York, NY	Sydney, Australia	19,887	7,756	0.39

Electricity

National average emissions factor for electricity is 1.37 pounds CO₂ per kilowatt-hour. Source: Energy Information Administration. Electric Power Annual 2005, Table 5.1 (October 2006).

"Typical" annual CO₂ emissions are 16,290 pounds per household, assuming approximately 900 kWh per month. Source: EPA, 2004.

Natural Gas

Carbon coefficient for natural gas: 117 pounds of CO₂ per million BTU, or 0.12 pounds per cubic foot of gas. Source: U.S. EPA, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2004, Annex 2, Table A-30.

"Typical" annual CO₂ emissions of 11,000 pounds per household based on national average monthly consumption of 7,680 cubic feet of gas. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration 2004. A Look at Residential Energy Consumption in 2001.

Fuel Oil

Carbon coefficient for distillate fuel (fuel oil): 161.44 pounds of CO₂ per million BTU, or 22.29 pounds per gallon. Source: U.S. EPA, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2004, Annex 2, Table A-30.

"Typical" annual CO₂ emissions of 14,500 pounds per household based on national average monthly consumption of 55 gallons of oil. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration 2004. A Look at Residential Energy Consumption in 2001.

Waste Disposal

Estimates of greenhouse gas emission benefits from recycling newspaper, glass, plastic, metal, and magazines were developed using national waste data and life-cycle greenhouse gas emission factors for waste management. Calculations assume that it would be possible for households to recycle 100 percent of all recyclable materials generated as waste. For example, if you indicate that you recycle newspapers, this calculator assumes that you recycle 100 percent of the newspapers you receive.

EPA's annual Characterization Report was the source of per capita waste generation by material type (e.g., newspaper waste generated per person). Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2003.

Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with household waste management were calculated using the total emissions for landfills (including incineration, landfill gas-to-energy projects, oxidation, and flaring) from EPA's Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, 1990-2004 and the United States population estimates from EPA's annual Characterization Report mentioned above. The emission factors for each material type were developed by EPA and presented in the Agency's report on greenhouse gas emissions from waste management and in the online WAste Reduction Model (WARM). These emission factors take into account the full material life cycle; i.e., not only emissions at the landfill, but also emissions and sequestration associated with production, manufacturing, remanufacturing, forest carbon storage due to reduced harvests, etc. The emission factor used for recycling materials in this calculator compares greenhouse gas emissions from recycling with those attributable to landfilling. This approach enables policy makers to evaluate, on a per-ton basis, the overall difference in greenhouse gas emissions between (1) recycling 1 ton of material and (2) manufacturing and then managing (post-consumer) 1 ton of the same material. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006. Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks, EPA530-R-06-004.

Your Current Household Emissions
	Enter your data	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year*
The Basics
How many people live in your home?
How do you heat your house?	Natural Gas Electric Heat Oil
Transportation
On average, how many miles do you put on your car(s)?	Per Week Per Year 231 miles/week is about average in the United States per vehicle.
What is the average gas mileage for your car (miles per gallon)?	If you don't know your car's fuel economy, you can look it up at fueleconomy.gov.	12,100 pounds is about average per vehicle over a year.
Flights	•How many flights do you take over a year? •How much total air miles you fly over a year?	•0 to 899 miles: 0.64 lbs CO₂/mile •900 to 3199 miles: 0.45 lbs CO₂/mile •3200 miles and plus: 0.39 lbs CO₂/mile
Home Energy
What is your average monthly gas bill?	$105 is about average in the United States for a household of two people. Our calculations assume that you pay $13.83/thousand cubic feet	11,000 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
What is your average monthly electric bill?	$100 is about average in the United States for a household of two people. Our calculations assume that you pay 10 cents/kWh. We estimate your emissions based on the national average mix of fuels used to generate electricity. Your actual emissions may be higher or lower depending on your electricity provider's power mix.	16,290 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
What is your average monthly fuel oil bill?	$130 is about average in the United States for a household of two people. Our calculations assume that you pay $2.37/gallon	14,500 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
Waste
Based on the number of people in your household, the box at right shows your estimated greenhouse gas emissions from waste. However, if you currently recycle certain materials, your waste emissions may be lower.	Total Waste Emissions Before Recycling	2,020 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
Which of the following products do you currently recycle in your household?
Do you recycle newspaper?	Yes No	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle glass?	Yes No>	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle plastic?	Yes No	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle aluminum and steel cans?	Yes No	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
	Total Waste Emissions After Recycling	Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Your Total Carbon Emissions
	The calculator provides a rough estimate of your household's total emissions	41,500 pounds is about average in the United States for a household of two people over a year.
Renewable Energy Credits Needed To Offset Your Emissions (kWh)
	0.71839 kWh per pound of CO₂
Renewable Energy Credits For Shopping Cart (kWh)
	The kWh number in our shopping cart needs to be greater than or equal 20000 and to be a multiplier of 1000