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GHG Protocol aligned

How we calculateyour carbon footprint

Every number in Eco-Auditor traces back to a methodology, an emission factor, a source document, and a reviewer. No black boxes, no mystery calculations — just transparent, defensible 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 via OA replenishment × IPCC AR6 GWP.

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 (EXIOBASE-style EEIO) estimates applied to procurement spend data.

Data quality hierarchy

Not all data is equal. Every entry in your carbon inventory is scored on a 5-level quality scale so you know what is defensible and what needs improvement.

Eco-Auditor data-confidence score. This score is an internal, proprietary decision-support indicator — not an assurance opinion and not a GHG Protocol certification. It combines source type, source recency, coverage, estimation method, factor specificity, and review status. Users can inspect the inputs and override classifications with a recorded reason. Confidence ranges reflect Eco-Auditor’s model and are not externally standardized certainty values.

L1
Direct Measurement

Continuous monitoring or stack testing

Confidence: 95–100%
L2
Primary Source Data

Utility bills, fuel receipts, meter readings

Confidence: 80–95%
L3
Industry Average Factors

EPA, eGRID, and spend-based EEIO factors applied to activity data

Confidence: 60–80%
L4
Proxy Data

Scaled from similar facilities or time periods

Confidence: 40–60%
L5
Default Estimate

Statistical imputation where no source data exists

Confidence: < 40%

Entries below L3 confidence are flagged for review. Your goal: move every material emissions source to L2 or above before filing.

Emission factor libraries

We aggregate and maintain emission factors from authoritative sources, updated annually. Every factor is citation-tracked to its source document.

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 AR6 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 AR6 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 data point receives a confidence score on our 5-level quality hierarchy — from direct measurement (L1) down to default estimates (L5). Entries below L3 are surfaced for human review. This scoring is carried through to reports so reviewers know exactly which numbers are primary and which are estimated.
What compliance frameworks does Eco-Auditor support?
You can export your inventory to support California SB 253 and EU CBAM reporting, as well as customer procurement questionnaires (CDP, EcoVadis-style) and annual GHG inventories.
How often are emission factors updated?
We update factors annually when source agencies release new data (EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub in April, eGRID in January). We also publish change logs so you can assess the impact of factor updates on your baseline.

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