Collection: Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting

In order to report the greenhouse gas emissions associated with an organisation’s activities, users must convert ‘activity data’ such as distance travelled, litres of fuel used or tonnes of waste disposed into carbon emissions. These conversion factors spreadsheets provide the values that should be used for such conversions and provide step by step guidance on how to use the factors.

We produce a new set of conversion factors each year and the factors can be downloaded in 3 separate formats. These formats are described here and we recommend the condensed set for most users:

• Condensed set: This set of factors contains those most frequently requested by users, and is recommended for most users. It provides an abridged version of the full set of factors, designed to reduce the volume of information users need to navigate through to find the factors they want.

• Full set: This set of factors contains all of the available factors for the selected year and is recommended for advanced users due to the volume of information presented. This set is available for all years from 2002, however 2002-2011 contain only electricity and heat & steam conversion factors; 2012 sets onward contain all emissions sources.

• Flat file set: This contains the same information as the full set, but arranged for automated processes. It is only available from 2014 onwards. Not recommended for most users.

We also provide a methodology paper each year from 2012 onwards, explaining how the conversion factors are derived.

For new users of the conversion factors, we recommend that you should download the condensed set of conversion factors from the latest available year and read the guidance in the introductory sheet. Then follow the informative text at the top of each conversion factor tab in the output files. We also recommend reading guidance on emissions reporting such as Defra’s Environmental reporting guidelines. Then download the latest version of the condensed factor set.

For repeat users of the conversion factors we suggest that you download your preferred factor set and read the ‘what’s new’ sheet before using the conversion factors. This sheet highlights the most significant changes to the conversion factors made in this update. Following the ‘what’s new’ guidance will ensure that reporting is consistent and comparable year-on-year.