To calculate district heating emissions, companies must collect precise information on consumption. Similar to electricity, companies obtain the relevant consumption data mainly from invoices from the district heating provider. These invoices contain information on energy consumption and, in some cases, the corresponding emission factors.
Activity data required
The activity data required for this calculation includes the amount of electricity consumed for the company:
- Electricity consumption: Collect data on the amount of electricity. The most common method is to use purchase records.
- Purchase records: The mass or volume of electricity entering the facility. This data can be based on receipts, purchase records or data provided directly by the energy supplier and/or the customer's online portal.
Balancing district heating in the Climate Hub
The district heating mix for Germany is already stored in the district heating section. The latest emission factor has already been assigned to this, so you only need to enter your consumption here. If you purchase district heating elsewhere, e.g. from another country, you can add the emission factor using the plus button.
An input mask opens in which the direct emission factor and the upstream supply chain factor for the market-based and location-based approach are requested. If known, you should enter the emission factors for both approaches. A definition of the two methods can be found here.
If the district heating is sourced from Germany, the factor for the market-based upstream supply chain and both factors for the location-based approach are already predefined. Otherwise, the values must be entered yourself. Furthermore, for both the market-based and the location-based approach, it must be specified whether the energy is self-generated and what percentage of the energy is renewable or nuclear.
Further information can be found in the Scope 1 & 2 GHG Inventory Guidance of the GHG Protocol in chapter Scope 2 Emissions from Purchased Energy from page 24.