Frequently asked questions

Multiply each thing you use in a year by its emission factor and add the results. For example, 3,000 kWh of grid electricity × 0.675 kg CO2 per kWh (CEA CO2 Baseline Database, Version 22.0, FY 2025-26) = 2,025 kg CO2. Repeat for LPG, vehicle fuel, flights and food.

The latest weighted average grid emission factor is 0.675 tonnes CO2 per MWh (0.675 kg per kWh) for FY 2025-26, from the CEA CO2 Baseline Database Version 22.0, August 2026. It includes renewable and captive power fed into the grid. The previous version gave 0.710 for FY 2024-25.

Burning a full 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder releases roughly 42 kg of CO2. This uses IPCC 2006 default values (63,100 kg CO2 per TJ and 47.3 TJ per thousand tonnes), which work out to about 2.98 kg CO2 per kg of LPG.

It depends on the car, but the India GHG Program's 2015 factors range from about 0.11 kg CO2 per km for a small petrol car under 800 cc to 0.14 kg for a petrol hatchback under 1,400 cc, and more for SUVs (values include a 10% real-world uplift). If you know your litres of petrol, multiply by 2.27 kg CO2 per litre instead.

They give a rough estimate, not an exact figure. Many use foreign averages for electricity, cars and food, which may not match India. A calculator is more useful if it tells you which factor and year it uses, so you can check it against Indian sources like the CEA database.

Yes, and even one or two flights a year can be a large share of a household total. The ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator estimates CO2 per passenger for a route. Some other methods add a multiplier for high-altitude non-CO2 effects, so always note which method you used.

India's fossil CO2 emissions were about 2.2 tonnes per person in 2024, against a world average of about 4.7 tonnes, according to Our World in Data (Global Carbon Budget). This national figure includes industry and public services, so it is not the same as a household footprint.

Not always. Count only the units you still take from the grid and multiply them by the grid factor. If your solar panels export more than you import over a year, your net grid use falls, but making and installing panels also has a footprint that this simple method does not include.