Climate Change
Household Carbon Footprint Calculator
You can use the following online calculator to get a rough “ballpark” estimate of your personal or family’s greenhouse gas emissions and explore the impact of taking various actions to reduce your emissions. The calculator is broken into three sections:
Section 1: Estimate your current total household emissions.
Section 2: Explore actions you can take to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and waste disposal costs.
Section 3: See how much you can save (in dollars and emissions) by taking the actions you chose in Section 2.
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Emissions from waste and emissions savings from recycling are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents.
* no cost: you can take this action without spending money.
$: it is estimated that you will need to spend between $1 and $100 before you start seeing both energy and dollar savings from this action.
$$: it is estimated that you will need to spend more than $100 before you start seeing both energy and dollar savings from this action.
$$$: it is estimated that you will need to spend more than $1000 before you start seeing both energy and dollar savings from this action.
* Potential annual dollar savings are approximations based on generalized assumptions. Please note that the savings shown here do not account for the up-front cost of purchasing the energy-saving equipment or vehicles.
A spreadsheet version (Microsoft Excel, 7 MB, Microsoft Excel Viewer) of the calculator is also available; it includes descriptions of the formulas used in each step of the calculator.
For an explanation of the assumptions and sources used by this calculator, click here. Keep in mind that average per person emissions estimates or per capita emissions estimates are usually derived from national estimates of greenhouse gas emissions, which include greenhouse gas emissions from all sources in the U.S., including industrial emissions (emissions from manufacturing of goods and services). As a result, if you compare your estimates from the personal emissions calculator to per capita emissions in the U.S., they may differ significantly.
- Emissions
- The release of a substance (usually a gas when referring to the subject of climate change) into the atmosphere.
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
- Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3 ), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
- Natural Gas
- Underground deposits of gases consisting of 50 to 90 percent methane (CH4) and small amounts of heavier gaseous hydrocarbon compounds such as propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10).
- Recycling
- Collecting and reprocessing a resource so it can be used again. An example is collecting aluminum cans, melting them down, and using the aluminum to make new cans or other aluminum products. 7