Introduction: Calculating the carbon footprint of your operations is essential for understanding and reducing your environmental impact. However, you may not always have access to specific data on water consumption at all your sites. In such cases, our platform provides robust estimation capabilities, ensuring your carbon reporting remains comprehensive and accurate.
Why Estimations are Necessary: Water consumption contributes to carbon emissions through the energy required for water supply, treatment, and heating processes. When direct water usage data is missing, it’s crucial to estimate these figures to maintain a complete carbon inventory.
Using Benchmarks to Estimate Water-Related Carbon Emissions: Our platform can estimate water consumption based on two key factors:
Number of Employees: We use industry benchmarks that average water usage per employee in office environments, typically around 5-10 m³/employee/year.
Building Size (m²): Alternatively, we can estimate based on the building’s area, using average consumption rates tailored to the type of facility.
Carbon Emission Factors: Once water consumption is estimated, our platform applies the relevant carbon emission factors. For example, the UK Environment Agency reports that the carbon footprint of water supply and treatment is approximately 0.298 kg CO₂ per m³ of water.
Example Calculation: If you have an office with 100 employees and no direct water consumption data:
Estimated Water Use: 500 - 1,000 m³/year
Estimated Carbon Emissions: 149 - 298 kg CO₂/year
Additional Resources: For more detailed benchmarks and sources, you can refer to the UK Environment Agency’s guidelines or the European Environment Agency’s resources on water use.
Conclusion: By leveraging our platform’s estimation capabilities, you can ensure that all aspects of your water consumption are accounted for in your carbon footprint, even when specific data is missing. This helps you maintain accurate and comprehensive reporting, crucial for both internal sustainability goals and regulatory compliance.
Contact support@keyesg.com for further help and guidance.