FAQ’s and helpful hints when calculating your carbon footprint
Q. I moved in recently and only have one bill. Q. Why do I have peaks and troughs?
Q. I live in a share house and only want to calculate my personal emissions.
Q. I’ve never received an electricity bill.
Q. What if I have Solar PV and have sold my RECs?
Q. What if I have solar PV and have kept my RECS?
Q. What if I plan to move in a few months time?
Q. If I purchase offsets for an activity (flights, car travel, gas), do I include the activity when I calculate my footprint?
Q. I’m an avid recycler. Can I include this in my footprint?
Q. What about the emissions associated with recycling?
Q. What are emission factors?
Q. I moved in recently and only have one bill.
A. Use the bill you have and time this by 4. Although it is not accurate as it does not take in the peaks and troughs associated with seasonal energy use, you can update your figures more accurately when you recalculate.
Q. Why do I have peaks and troughs?
A. Energy use varies throughout the year. The peaks are often associated with heaters in winter and increasingly air conditioning in summer. The troughs are what we commonly term ‘shoulder season’, when the temperatures are mild and we are not relying on mechanical systems.
Q. I live in a share house and only want to calculate my personal emissions.
A. If your housemates are not interested you can calculate this by yourself. Bear in mind that since you share a bin and bills, the data you input into the calculator will take the number of users into account. This may mean your individual footprint is larger.
Q. I’ve never received an electricity bill.
A. If you’re ready to calculate, contact us and we’ll provide case study data. We have case studies that are representative of the different housing types and arrangements. We can provide one of these so you at least have an idea of your footprint size.
Q. What if I have Solar PV and have sold my RECs?
A. Your sold RECs become part of the national Renewable Energy Target (RET), meaning someone else, for example a company or business, can buy your RECs to meet their requirement to source a certain portion of their electricity from renewable energy sources. Therefore, to calculate your footprint, you need to add up the total amount of electricity used in your home. This is not considered Green Power.
Q. What if I have solar PV and have kept my RECS?
A. By not selling your RECs you have added to the amount of renewable energy produced in Australia, on top of the national target. To calculating your energy footprint, you will need to subtract the total amount of renewable electricity you have exported from the total amount of coal electricity imported. If the results show you import a bit more coal electricity than renewably produced electricity, that difference is the amount you should use to calculate your emissions.
Q. What if I plan to move in a few months time?
A. Still calculate your footprint but make sure you let us know your new contact details!
Q. If I purchase offsets for an activity (flights, car travel, gas), do I include the activity when I calculate my footprint?
A. Yes. The ZCM calculator does not account for offsets.
Q. I’m an avid recycler. Can I include this in my footprint?
A. There is no emission factor for comingled municipal recyclable waste. Your commitment to recycling prevents tonnes of waste to landfill each year.
Q. What about the emissions associated with recycling?
A. These are the responsibility of the council, not the individual household.
A. Emission factors describe the relationship between a given activity and associated greenhouse pollution.
