How To Calculate Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions (in kg CO2)!

Heating (Average 5000 kg CO2/year):

• Natural gas: multiply annual usage in cubic meters by 1.9
• Oil Heating: multiply annual usage in litres by 2.8
• Tip: your annual usage is available from your heating bill

Electricity (Average 3000 kg CO2/year):

• Multiply annual usage in kWh by 0.241 (Ontario)
• Tip: your annual usage is available from your electricity bill. Borrow a kill-a-watt meter from the library and measure the electricity usage of all the electrical devices in your home.
  

Car (Average 5500 kg CO2/year):

• Multiply number of kilometers you drive annually by:
  • 0.1262 for a hybrid car
  • 0.1830 for a small car
  • 0.2162 for a mid-size car
  • 0.2964 for a minivan
  • 0.3103 for a truck or SUV
  • Tip: if you haven't recorded your mileage, check your service bills as most mechanics record the mileage when they work on your car.
    

Flying (Average 3600 kg CO2/year):

• Short flights (under 500 km): multiply the distance in km by 0.150
• Long flights (over 500 km): multiply the distance in km by 0.297
• Tip: drive to Toronto or Montreal instead of flying to catch a long-haul flight.

Waste (Average 700 kg CO2/year):

• Multiply the annual weight of your garbage in kg by 0.7 (Ontario)
• Tip: do a garbage audit by writing down everything you throw out for a week and then figuring out what you can buy differently to reduce it.

Add up the totals from each area and then look for more ways to reduce your GHG emissions.

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