Carbon Offsetting

How do we calculate your carbon emissions?

Over 40 per cent of CO₂ emissions in the UK come directly from what we do as individuals; for example, heating, lighting and powering appliances in our homes, driving vehicles and of course flying. Everyone has a carbon footprint - your personal measure of how much CO₂ you create and how much you contribute to climate change.

To calculate the carbon emissions for each Zero Carbon customer we look at how much gas and electricity your household actually used. Typically, a home using national average amounts of gas and electricity will emit around 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) each year.

Calculation: Household energy emissions* = tonnes CO₂ from gas + tonnes CO₂ from electricity

Gas – average emissions from burning gas to heat your home, provide hot water and to cook are around 3 tonnes of CO₂ per annum.

A Government standard measure, in kg/KWh, is used to calculate the UK's gas emissions. We then multiply this figure by your actual consumption level.

Electricity - average emissions from using electricity for lighting, cooking and powering the large number of appliances we have in the modern home account for around 2 tonnes of CO₂ per annum.

To calculate emissions from electricity, we multiply the actual amount used in your home by British Gas's "Carbon Intensity" - a measure which calculates the emissions from the various sources of power generation an energy company will use to make electricity, including Coal and Gas fired power stations, Nuclear, LPG and down to renewable sources such as wind.

British Gas has the lowest carbon intensity (0.382 kg/kWh) of any major UK supplier.

What type of carbon offsets does British Gas use?

To offset your carbon emissions, British Gas uses carbon credits from projects certified based on United Nations (UN) rules and NOT on any invented 'standard' created by ourselves or other commercial body.

Thus you can rest assured the projects our credits are invested in deliver real, sustainable emissions reductions. In fact, they are designed to balance your own emissions and contribute to reducing the global output of CO₂.

The UN backed credits come from development and investment in clean technologies, such as Hydro-Electric powerplants, in developing countries. All undergo extensive environmental auditing before being given accreditation.

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Notes

* For a minority of customers who heat their home with oil, we will include the CO₂ emissions from burning oil as well.