Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
Other Calculators
There are a number of other web-based calculators that can estimate greenhouse gas emission reductions for
For basic information and details on greenhouse gas emissions, visit the Emissions section of EPA’s climate change site.
UPDATED February 17, 2009. This calculator was updated to include the eGRID2007 Version 1.1 annual non-baseload CO2 output emission rates (year 2005 data). See the revision history page for more details.
Did you ever wonder what reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1 million metric tons means in everyday terms? The following equivalency calculator can help you understand just that.
For example, it can be difficult to visualize what a "metric ton of carbon dioxide" really is. This calculator will translate rather difficult to understand statements into more commonplace terms, such as "is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of X number of cars annually."
This equivalency calculator may be useful in communicating your greenhouse gas reduction strategy, reduction targets, or other initiatives aimed at reducing GHG emissions.
Enter Your Data Below
There are two options for entering reduction data into this calculator.
Option 1:
- If you are starting with reductions data in units of "gallons of gasoline consumed," "kilowatt-hours of electricity," "therms of natural gas," or "passenger vehicles per year" instead of emission reductions, use this option.
- Enter a quantity and pick the desired unit below; and
- Click on the "Calculate Equivalent" button to convert your value to Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.
Notes:
- This calculator estimates avoided emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from “kilowatt-hours of electricity savings” by using the eGRID national annual non-baseload carbon dioxide emission rate.
- This calculation does not include any other greenhouse gas and does not include line losses.
- This calculation should not be used for emission inventory or carbon footprinting exercises.
- To estimate indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity use, please use Power Profiler or use eGRID subregion annual output emission rates as a default emission factor (see eGRID2007 Version 1.1 Year 2005 GHG Annual Output Emission Rates (PDF) (1 p, 200K, About PDF).
Option 2:
If you have already estimated the quantity of avoided emissions (e.g., metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), you can input the amount of avoided emissions and select the appropriate units for the corresponding greenhouse gas type.