Heat > Generated

You produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from this activity if you purchase fuel from a utility company for heating. This is a Scope 1 (direct) emission.

Enter information about the heat you generated into Climate Smart to calculate the emissions from your inventory period.

On this page:

• Examples of emission sources
• Prepare the data you need
• Find your emissions data
  • Option 1: Actual consumption (most accurate)
  • Option 2: Estimate by area (less accurate)
  • Option 3: Estimate by cost (least accurate)
  • Option 4: From a specific emissions factor (rare cases)
• Enter data into your inventory

Examples of emission sources

Not sure if you should report this emission source? Here are some examples of activities that you should consider tracking in your inventory:

• You own a gas boiler to heat your building and water supply
• You pay bills from a gas company (such as Fortis)

Prepare the data you need

To get your emissions data ready for Climate Smart, choose one of the following options based on the information that’s available to you. This will be the method you use to calculate the GHGs emitted by your organization’s activities.

Remember to collect information for the relevant inventory period.

Option 1: Actual consumption (most accurate)

You’ll get the most accurate results if you enter the actual amount of fuel that supplied your heat during the inventory period. You’ll find this information on your utility bills. This means you’ll need to know: 

• Amount of fuel used (gigajoules or litres)
• Fuel type (for example, natural gas or propane)

Option 2: Estimate by area (less accurate)

If you don’t know how much fuel you used, you can estimate your average emissions based on:

• Size of your building or facility (warehouse, plant, etc.) in square meters or square feet
• Fuel type (for example, natural gas or propane)

Option 3: Estimate by cost (least accurate)

If you know if you know how much you paid for heat from a utility provider during your inventory period, you can use this data to estimate your emissions. You might choose this method if you don’t have your utility bills, but you do have:

• Receipts
• Bank or credit card statements
• Financial accounting records (for example, QuickBooks)

Option 4: From a specific emissions factor (rare cases)

In rare cases, you might need to add data to your inventory from a specific emissions factor. This might be the case if you’re a regulated reporter, meaning the government needs your organization to report specific information from your major sources of emissions.

If this applies to your organization, you’ll need to know:

• Amount of energy/heat consumed (in gigajoules or litres)
• Your emission factor (in kilogram CO₂e/unit)

Find your emissions data

Not sure where to find the data you need? Try the following suggestions:

Ask your accounting department

Your accounting department might already have the information you need! Ask your accounting team about collecting data for your emissions inventory.

Check your utility bills

Your utility bills include important information you need for your inventory, such as:

• Cost
• Location
• Amount and type of fuel you purchased

If your business has an online account with your energy provider, you might be able to download a spreadsheet with your fuel usage and cost for each billing period.

Note: Your billing periods might not match the dates you’re measuring – that’s okay! Pick a one-year period that’s closest to your inventory start and end dates to estimate the amount of electricity purchased during your inventory period.

Enter data into your inventory

When you’re ready to track emissions from this activity, you can start entering the data you’ve collected into Climate Smart.

Add this activity to your inventory

Before you can enter information about your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, you need to add this activity to your inventory. Learn how to add new activities to your inventory.

Add an entry to your inventory

To enter your data into Climate Smart:

1. Choose a calculation method:
   • If you have your heating bills with your actual consumption data, select Actual Consumption and enter your information into Climate Smart.
   • If you need to estimate based on your building size and location, select Estimate by area and enter your information into Climate Smart.
   • If you need to estimate based on cost of heating, select Estimate by Cost and enter your information into Climate Smart.
   • If you have a specific emissions factor, select From a Specific Factor and enter your information into Climate Smart.
2. Enter the start and end dates of the activity you’re measuring. These will usually match the start and end dates of your inventory period.
3. Enter the cost of the fuel you purchased to power your heating source (including taxes). If you’re estimating this amount, select the checkbox next to Cost is estimate. Tell us if you paid in Canadian Dollars (CAD) or United States Dollars (USD) from Currency the drop-down list.
4. Under Description, enter information such as:
   • Utility provider name
   • Utility account number
5. In the Note box, enter optional information including any details that might be helpful for you (or your Climate Smart Advisor, if applicable) in the future.
6. When you’re done, click ADD ENTRY. Your entry will appear in the table below.