⚡ The electricity your business purchases for lighting, heating, and operations contributes to your Scope 2 emissions. Use utility bills, electricity meter readings, and renewable energy certificates (RECs).
What is Electricity?
Electricity refers to the energy your business purchases from external sources to power operations. These purchases lead to indirect emissions (Scope 2), which are generated during the production of electricity and attributed to your business based on energy consumption.
Examples include:
Grid electricity: power purchased from the national grid to support lighting, heating, and running equipment at your facilities.
Renewable energy credits (RECs): certificates purchased to offset emissions from grid electricity or support clean energy production.
Why is Electricity Important?
Electricity is often one of the largest contributors to Scope 2 emissions, especially for businesses with significant energy needs, such as production, refrigeration, or heating. Reporting electricity use accurately allows businesses to:
Understand their indirect emissions profile.
Benchmark and track progress in reducing reliance on non-renewable energy.
Drive efficiencies in energy use and cost savings.
For food businesses, where energy-intensive activities like refrigeration are common, electricity data is essential for accurate carbon footprint calculations.
What Data Do You Need to Provide?
To report electricity emissions accurately, gather the following data:
Electricity consumption (kWh): the total amount of electricity consumed across your facilities, per month, quarter, or year.
Location of use: facility locations are required to apply the appropriate grid emissions factors. When logging a new site, you'll be asked to specify its location.
Your own energy purchases (if possible): enter your custom electricity supplies and emissions factors, if available, for an emissions calculation more specific to you. Find out how to do this here.
⚡ Tip: Ensure your data covers the entire reporting period (e.g. monthly or annual totals) for a complete emissions profile. For multi-site businesses, keep records organised by facility to streamline data tracking and reporting.
How to Source This Data
You can find this information in:
Electricity meter readings: on-site meters provide the most accurate, real-time data for tracking electricity usage.
Utility bills: these typically include electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and the billing period. Ensure they span the full reporting timeframe.
Renewable energy certificates (RECs): if your business has invested in renewable energy, request certificates from your utility provider to verify your purchases, and use our quality criteria to verify (at the bottom of this article).