Helpful tips for working with the Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool

Try not to be overwhelmed by the size or complexity of the spreadsheet. You do not have to tackle everything at once. Remember you are encouraged to start small and build up. For inspiration, see how members of our Carbon Calculation Support Group tackled the challenge in the Case Studies section.

As you start using the Calculation Tool you will notice there are some cells you are meant to enter data into and others that contain formulae to generate values for you. As a general guide, you’ll enter data in columns or rows with a light green shading, and the tool will calculate numbers in the columns or rows with a light purple shading. The guidance provided for each of the spreadsheet tabs describes only those fields that you enter data into.

The spreadsheet tool does lots of the work of generating carbon footprint calculations for you. Once you have gathered your data and entered it into the right columns, the calculations will happen automatically, drawing from data held in the administrative tabs and formulae within the spreadsheet cells. Take care if copying and pasting data into the spreadsheet that you are not overwriting values that are not intended to be edited.

Keep an eye on units of measurement – these are recorded in the column names. Substantial errors can occur if the figures you enter are using a different unit of measurement.

The tool has been set up to report annual figures. If you are collecting monthly figures, then multiply these up 12 before entering them into the tool. If you are collecting daily figures, then multiply these by 365 before entering them into the tool.

Recognise that the figures you get from carrying out a carbon calculation exercise will never be 100% accurate. Accept the fact you may have to rely on assumptions and estimates and try and report the associated uncertainty and data quality in a transparent manner using the fields provided.

• Distinguish between data gathered from direct measurement (e.g., monitors attached to equipment), and data based on estimations or proxy data.

• Describe your confidence in the data, estimate, or proxy by choosing an appropriate descriptive term from the drop-down menu (e.g., high, medium, or low).

We have seen at least at least one instance of a community member not being able to open the spreadsheet on devices managed by their organization. Opening the spreadsheet produced a series of error messages relating to the formulae and references within the tool. Given the spreadsheet opened with no issues on personal devices, this was diagnosed as a local IT configuration issue that could only be resolved by working with IT colleagues to troubleshoot. This is another reason why you may need to have colleagues in IT on side with your carbon calculation work. The Getting organizational buy-in section may be worth revisiting.

The spreadsheet tool is designed to be a starting point but may not fit with all possible use cases. Do treat it as a flexible tool that can be adapted to meet your needs – for example you may wish to add rows or edit headings. A little bit of expertise in Excel may be needed to ensure the calculations still work as expected and that the right totals are pulled into the Summary, so do double check that things are working as expected.

If you find a bug or error in the spreadsheet tool, please do let us know (infoATdpconlineDOTorg) so we can fix it.