If you're building a Scope 1 emissions inventory for the first time, you need two things: your activity data (how much fuel you burned, how much refrigerant you lost) and the right emission factors to convert that activity into tCO2e.
This page gives you the emission factors. Every value is sourced from an authoritative database, with the publication year and methodology noted. You can use these directly in your GHG inventory — no lookup required.
Boilers, furnaces, generators, and other fixed equipment that burns fuel on your premises.
| Fuel Type | Common Use | Unit | EF (kgCO2e/unit) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | Boilers, furnaces, heating | therm | 5.3 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Diesel / distillate fuel #2 | Backup generators | gallon | 10.21 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Fuel oil #6 (residual) | Industrial boilers | gallon | 11.27 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Propane (LPG) | Heating, forklifts | gallon | 5.72 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Coal (bituminous) | Industrial processes | kg | 2.23 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Wood / biomass | Biomass boilers | kg | 1.65 | DEFRA 2025 |
| Kerosene | Jet fuel, heating | gallon | 9.75 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
Company-owned or company-controlled vehicles. If you reimburse employees for mileage, that's Scope 3 (Category 7), not Scope 1.
| Fuel Type | Vehicle Type | Unit | EF (kgCO2e/unit) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | Passenger vehicles, light trucks | gallon | 8.78 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| Diesel | Trucks, heavy equipment | gallon | 10.21 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| LPG / Propane | Forklifts, fleet vehicles | gallon | 5.68 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
| CNG (compressed natural gas) | CNG fleet vehicles | therm | 5.3 | EPA GHG EF Hub 2024 |
Refrigerant leakage from HVAC systems, chillers, and cold storage. These use Global Warming Potential (GWP) values instead of combustion factors — 1 kg of leaked refrigerant is multiplied by its GWP to get kgCO2e.
| Refrigerant | Common Equipment | Unit | GWP (kgCO2e/kg) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-410A | Commercial HVAC | kg | 2,088 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
| R-134a | Vehicle AC, chillers | kg | 1,430 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
| R-22 (HCFC-22) | Legacy HVAC systems | kg | 1,810 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
| R-407C | Commercial AC | kg | 1,774 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
| R-404A | Supermarket refrigeration | kg | 3,922 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
| R-32 | Newer residential AC | kg | 675 | IPCC AR6 (GWP-100) |
While technically Scope 2, you need these to complete your inventory. Multiply your facility's annual kWh by the regional grid factor.
| Region | Grid | EF (kgCO2e/kWh) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Average | National | 0.386 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US Northeast (NPCC) | New England, NY | 0.210 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US Midwest (RFCW) | OH, IN, WV | 0.440 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US Southeast (SRMV) | LA, MS, AR | 0.380 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US California (CAMX) | CA | 0.225 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US Northwest (NWPP) | WA, OR, ID | 0.280 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| US Texas (ERCT) | TX | 0.370 | EPA eGRID 2024 |
| United Kingdom | National | 0.207 | DEFRA 2025 |
| EU Average | EU-27 | 0.230 | IEA 2024 |
| Germany | National | 0.350 | IEA 2024 |
| France | National | 0.052 | IEA 2024 |
| Australia | National | 0.680 | IEA 2024 |
| Japan | National | 0.450 | IEA 2024 |
| India | National | 0.720 | IEA 2024 |
| China | National | 0.555 | IEA 2024 |
tCO2e = Activity Data x Emission Factor / 1,000
Example: Your fleet burned 25,000 gallons of diesel last year.
25,000 gal x 10.21 kgCO2e/gal = 255,250 kgCO2e = 255.3 tCO2e
Fuel purchases: accounts payable, fuel card statements, utility bills. Refrigerant: HVAC maintenance logs, refrigerant purchase/disposal records. Electricity: utility bills (kWh per facility per month). If you have cost data but not consumption data, your utility provider can convert. Most utilities will provide a 12-month usage summary on request.
Use the most specific factor available. If you know your eGRID subregion, use that instead of the US average. If your supplier provides a product-specific EF, use that instead of the EPA default. Document your choice — your auditor will ask why you picked each factor.
EPA updates the GHG EF Hub annually (usually Q1). DEFRA publishes updated factors each June. IEA updates grid factors in their annual World Energy Outlook. If you're reporting year-over-year, use the factor that corresponds to your reporting period — don't retroactively apply new factors to old data unless doing a base-year recalculation per GHG Protocol guidance.
Every factor on this page can be independently verified:
EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub (2024): epa.gov/climateleadership/ghg-emission-factors-hub. Table 1 (stationary), Table 2 (mobile), Table 5 (per-mile), Table 10 (electricity).
DEFRA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Conversion Factors (2025): gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2025. Updated annually by UK BEIS.
IPCC AR6 GWP Values: Chapter 7, Table 7.SM.7. 100-year GWP values used throughout (GWP-100).
EPA eGRID (2024): epa.gov/egrid. Subregion-level emission rates for US electricity.
IEA Emission Factors (2024): iea.org/data-and-statistics. Country-level grid emission factors.
Emberglow's portal auto-suggests these factors when you select a source type. Start your Scope 1 baseline in under 30 minutes.
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