UK Electricity Carbon Factors

What most people don't know is the UK Electricity Factors are 2 years out of date! The 2024 Factor is actually based on UK Power Stations emissions in 2023 (the Global Energy Crisis).

Wouldn't it be great if you could use a Carbon Factor that more accurately reflects your true, real time emissions?

Solution

Well, the good news is you can, and it is actually recommended by both the UK Gov and the GHG Protocol, specifically:-

Benefits of Half-Hourly Electricity Carbon Footprinting

Half-hourly electricity carbon footprinting offers several advantages over monthly totals, providing finer granularity and insights that support more effective carbon management:

• Improved Accuracy in Carbon Accounting: Accounts for fluctuations in electricity carbon intensity throughout the day, rather than averaging emissions over an entire month.
• Better Demand-Side Management: Identifies peak consumption periods and aligns energy use with times of lower grid carbon intensity, enabling strategies like load shifting.
• Enhanced Insights into Usage Patterns: Allows detailed analysis to pinpoint inefficiencies and optimize energy-intensive processes.
• Support for Real-Time Decision-Making: Enables real-time adjustments to reduce energy consumption during high-intensity periods.
• Alignment with Dynamic Energy Pricing: Helps align energy use with cheaper, less carbon-intensive periods, saving money and emissions.
• Encourages Use of Renewable Energy: Aligns energy use with periods of high renewable energy production, promoting clean energy consumption.
• Improved Benchmarking and Goal Tracking: Provides more frequent and actionable updates for tracking progress against carbon reduction targets.
• Tailored Feedback for Behavioral Change: Offers real-time or near-real-time feedback to encourage energy-efficient behaviors.
• Supports Regulatory and Reporting Requirements: Aligns with sustainability standards and regulations favoring granular data for transparency and compliance.
• Facilitates Integration with Smart Technologies: Compatible with smart meters, IoT devices, and AI-based systems for automated adjustments to reduce emissions.

Trade-Offs

While half-hourly monitoring provides significant benefits, it can be more resource-intensive, requiring robust data infrastructure, in-house analytics capabilities and skills. Of course you can easily outsource this work to an expert like Carbon Saver. The potential for carbon reduction and cost savings often justifies outsourcing.

FREE Analysis based on your data

If you would like to see the real world impact on your carbon footprint, simply email a sample of your HH meter readings to hhdata@carbonsaver.org.

Our experts will calculate your Half Hourly Emissions and send you a FREE report so you can see the difference for yourself.