Small Business Carbon Footprint Calculator

How this calculator works

It follows the GHG Protocol, the standard behind almost all company carbon reporting. Scope 1 covers fuels your business burns directly: natural gas for heating, and diesel, petrol and LPG in vehicles and generators. Scope 2 covers the electricity you buy. Each amount is multiplied by an emission factor: the UK Government’s 2025 conversion factors for fuels, which are widely used internationally, and your country’s average electricity grid intensity for Scope 2.

You need one year of data: electricity and gas bills (in kWh) and fuel receipts or fuel-card statements (in litres). If your gas bill shows cubic metres, your supplier’s bill usually also states the kWh.

What is a typical small business carbon footprint?

It varies enormously by sector. An office-based firm’s Scope 1 and 2 footprint is often just a few tonnes of CO₂e per employee per year, driven mostly by electricity and heating. A business with vans, trucks, generators or heated workshops can be several times higher. The most useful comparison is with yourself: measure a base year, then track it every year as you cut energy use and switch to cleaner sources.

Why Scope 3 matters

Scope 1 and 2 are the easiest to measure, but for most businesses they are the smaller part. Scope 3, the emissions in your supply chain from purchased goods, transport, business travel, commuting and waste, is often the majority of the total. Customers, banks and initiatives such as the Science Based Targets initiative increasingly ask for it. Our guide to Scope 3 emissions explains the 15 categories, and what is the GHG Protocol? covers the reporting rules.

How to reduce your business emissions

Switch to a renewable electricity tariff or install rooftop solar; improve insulation and controls, and replace gas boilers with heat pumps when they fail; move vehicles to electric where routes allow; and cut energy waste with better scheduling and efficient lighting. Set a target, ideally aligned with net zero, and measure progress against the same base year every year.