Emission Reduction Calculator

CO2 savings from specific lifestyle changes.

LED bulbs replacing incandescent

Plant-based meals/week

Car km reduced/week

Solar system (kW)

Solar capacity factor (%)

Insulation improvement (%)

Annual heating energy (kWh)

Grid CO2 factor (kg/kWh)

Tab to move between fields

Total CO2 saved (tonnes/yr)

1.13

LED savings (tonnes)0.19

Diet savings (tonnes)0.39

Transport savings (tonnes)0.55

Solar savings (tonnes)0

Insulation savings (tonnes)0

Trees equivalent51

% of US avg footprint saved7.7%

How to Use This Calculator

Enter LED bulbs replacing incandescent, plant-based meals per week, and weekly car km reduced.
Set solar system size (kW), capacity factor (%), insulation savings (%), and annual heating energy (kWh).
Enter your local grid CO₂ factor (kg/kWh).
Review Total CO₂ Saved (tonnes/yr) and line-item breakdown by action.
Sort actions by CO₂ savings per dollar invested to prioritize the highest-impact changes.

How the result changes with Car km reduced/week

LED bulbs replacing incandescent: Number of incandescent bulbs switched to LED (saves ~45 kWh each/year).
Plant-based meals/week: Weekly plant-based meals replacing red meat (saves ~2.5 kg CO2e each).
Car km reduced/week: Weekly driving kilometres eliminated by cycling, transit, or remote work.
Solar system (kW): Rooftop solar panel system size in kilowatts.
Solar capacity factor (%): Solar output as % of max (US avg ~18%, sunny areas ~25%).
Insulation improvement (%): Percentage reduction in heating energy from insulation upgrades.
Annual heating energy (kWh): Current annual heating energy before improvements.
Grid CO2 factor (kg/kWh): Local grid emission factor. US avg ~0.42, EU avg ~0.23 kg CO2/kWh.

Total CO2 saved (tonnes/yr): Combined annual CO2 savings from all lifestyle changes.
LED savings (tonnes): Annual CO2 saved from LED lighting.
Diet savings (tonnes): Annual CO2e saved from plant-based meal substitutions.
Transport savings (tonnes): Annual CO2 saved from reduced driving.
Solar savings (tonnes): Annual CO2 offset by solar panel generation.
Insulation savings (tonnes): Annual CO2 saved from reduced heating demand.
Trees equivalent: Number of mature trees needed to absorb the same CO2.
% of US avg footprint saved: Savings as a percentage of the average US carbon footprint (14.7 t).

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
LED bulbs replacing incandescent = 10, Plant-based meals/week = 3, Car km reduced/week = 50, Solar system (kW) = 0 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Total CO2 saved
Total CO2 saved = ledCO2Savings + dietCO2Savings + transportCO2Savings +
1.13 = 1.13
Calculate LED savings
LED savings = ledSavingsKwh * gridFactor / 1000
0.189 = 0.189
Calculate Diet savings
Diet savings = plantMealsPerWeek * 52 * 2.5 / 1000
0.39 = 0.39