The emission factor is a coefficient that helps us calculate the emissions from specific consumption data. It tells us how much pollution our activities create.
For instance, consider driving a car. The emission factor for a car can tell us how much CO2e is released for every kilometer driven. This value depends on factors like the car's model, its condition, and driving style. Let's say your car's emission factor is 120 grams of CO2e per kilometer. If you drive 100 kilometers, you end up adding 120 grams of CO2e per km * 100 km = 12,000 grams of CO2e, or 12 kilograms of CO2e into the atmosphere.
In the app, when you submit a data entry, you can make a choice about what emission factor you want to select:
Auto-selected emission factor: This option is available for all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission sources. When choosing this option, the system finds the best emission factor to use and calculates your emissions with it.
Manually-selected emission factor: This option is available for all Scope 3 emission sources. When choosing this option, you will be prompted to select an emission factor from a drop-down list in the field 'Emission factor name'. Select the emission factor which most accurately describes the activity you are trying to account for.
Custom emission factor: If you already know the emission factor for the particular activity, you can input it directly, and the app will use your custom emission factor for the calculation.