Eco-Auditor
GHG Protocol aligned

How we calculateyour carbon footprint

Every number in Eco-Auditor traces back to the activity data you imported, the emission factor applied, and the published dataset that factor came from. No black boxes, no mystery calculations — just transparent, reviewable carbon accounting.

Aligned with global carbon accounting standards

Eco-Auditor has been designed from the ground up to follow established GHG accounting frameworks — not proprietary black-box models. Every methodology decision is documented and auditable.

WRI / WBCSD

GHG Protocol Corporate Standard

Scope 1 and 2 accounting, organizational boundary setting (operational control), and base year emissions tracking.

WRI / WBCSD

GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard

Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard with spend-based estimates for common Scope 3 categories.

CARB

California SB 253 / SB 261

California's first-year Scope 1 and Scope 2 reporting deadline is August 10, 2026, for covered entities (companies doing business in California with over $1B revenue). Smaller suppliers may still receive emissions-data requests from covered customers. Eco-Auditor helps assemble traceable data for both direct reporting and customer-driven requests.

European Commission

EU CBAM

Eco-Auditor can support the collection and organization of emissions inputs used in CBAM-related workflows. It does not replace an authorized declarant, customs filing, legal review, or required verification. Applicability depends on importer status and goods traded.

US EPA

EPA GHG Inventory Guidance

Emission factor libraries from the EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub and eGRID.

GHG Protocol required

Scope 1 — Direct Emissions

Sources you own or control

What's included

  • Natural gas combustion in boilers and furnaces
  • Company-owned vehicle fuel
  • Refrigerant leakage from HVAC equipment
  • On-site diesel generators
  • Process emissions from manufacturing

Calculation method

Activity data (fuel bills, meter readings) × EPA emission factors. Refrigerant leakage calculated as refrigerant mass × IPCC AR5 GWP-100.

Location-based

Scope 2 — Purchased Energy

Indirect emissions from electricity, steam, heat, cooling

What's included

  • Purchased electricity (grid)
  • Purchased steam or hot water
  • Purchased cooling / chilled water
  • On-site solar (net metering)

Calculation method

Location-based: kWh × eGRID subregion emission factor (lbs/MWh).

Spend-based Scope 3

Scope 3 — Value Chain

All other indirect emissions in your value chain

What's included

  • Purchased goods & services (spend-based)
  • Upstream transportation & distribution
  • Business travel (air, rail, hotel)
  • Employee commuting
  • Downstream transportation
  • Waste generated in operations

Calculation method

Common Scope 3 categories via spend-based estimates applied to procurement spend data. These category-average factors are Eco-Auditor internal estimates, not a published EEIO dataset.

Data confidence

Not all data is equal. Every entry carries a confidence score so you can see which numbers rest on metered activity data and which are spend-based estimates.

Eco-Auditor data-confidence score. This score is an internal decision-support indicator — not an assurance opinion and not a GHG Protocol certification. It is assigned from the activity category and the specificity of the factor applied, or taken from a confidence column in your import file when you supply one. It is not externally standardized. A per-entry quality hierarchy, reviewer sign-off, and confidence overrides are planned, not shipped.

Purchased electricity

Metered kWh against a published eGRID subregion factor

Confidence: 97%
Stationary combustion

Fuel volume against an EPA Emission Factors Hub factor

Confidence: 90%
Mobile combustion

Fuel volume against an EPA Emission Factors Hub factor

Confidence: 88%
Waste, commuting

Activity or spend against a category-average factor

Confidence: 75%
Transport, business travel, fuel & energy

Activity or spend against a category-average factor

Confidence: 72%
Purchased goods, capital goods, leased assets

Spend-based estimate against a category-average factor

Confidence: 65%

Your goal: move every material emissions source off spend-based estimates and onto metered activity data before filing.

Emission factor libraries

We aggregate and maintain emission factors from authoritative sources, updated annually. 38 of 82 factors are provisional — industry-typical values pending verification, including9 in Scope 1/2 categories (coal, heavy fuel oils, purchased steam, and process emissions) — and all provisional factors are flagged in generated reports.

EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025

US EPA

Scope 1Scope 2

Stationary combustion, mobile, fugitive, electricity

eGRID2023

US EPA

Scope 2

Subregion-level grid emission factors (lbs/MWh), location-based

IPCC AR5 GWP-100

IPCC

Scope 1

Global warming potentials for methane (CH₄) and refrigerants (F-gases)

Methodology FAQ

Which emission factor databases does Eco-Auditor use?
Eco-Auditor uses the EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub, eGRID (location-based electricity), and IPCC AR5 GWP-100 values.
Is Eco-Auditor aligned with the GHG Protocol?
Eco-Auditor follows the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Scope 1 & 2) and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard. Eco-Auditor defaults to the operational-control approach for initial setup. The GHG Protocol also permits equity-share and financial-control approaches. Organizations should select and document the boundary method appropriate to their structure and reporting requirements.
How does Eco-Auditor handle data quality?
Every entry receives a confidence score based on its activity category and the specificity of the emission factor applied — highest for metered electricity and fuel against published EPA and eGRID factors, lowest for spend-based Scope 3 estimates. The aggregate score is carried through to the report so reviewers can see how much of an inventory rests on estimates. A per-entry quality hierarchy and a review queue are planned.
What compliance frameworks does Eco-Auditor support?
Eco-Auditor produces a GHG Protocol-aligned Scope 1-3 inventory and a PDF emissions summary you can use as source material for California SB 253, EU CBAM, annual inventories, and procurement questionnaires. Framework-specific filing templates are on the roadmap.
How often are emission factors updated?
We update factors when source agencies release new data. Every factor records the publisher, version, and data year it came from, so you can see exactly which vintage produced a number. A published change log is on the roadmap.

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