This section contains some frequently asked questions that may help you. If you have a question that we haven't answered here, please feel free to use the form at the bottom of this page to contact us.
Why should I use the change.ie Carbon Calculator to find my Carbon Number?
The change.ie Calculator is the easy way for you to estimate how much carbon dioxide (CO2) you emit annually. The Calculator will also highlight which areas of your lifestyle have the greatest effect on climate change and will provide you with advice on what steps you can take to reduce your carbon count.
We can all play an important role in tackling climate change. Using the Calculator to help reduce our carbon count number is an easy way to take responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions we create every time we heat our homes, drive our cars, take a flight, charge our mobile phones or turn on our computers.
We can also reduce waste energy by switching off appliances we don't need, being more energy efficient (e.g. using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs) these are just some of the practical and affordable ways in which we can tackle climate change while at the same time making real savings in our daily lives.
And it’s not all about sacrifice and self-denial! It is about making positive changes to the way we live, work and travel. Changes that will benefit – not just our environment – but also our well-being and wallets.
Why do some people use the term Carbon Count Number and others use the term CO2?
The correct scientific term for what we are talking about is Carbon Dioxide or CO2, which is a gaseous compound of carbon and oxygen. These days, however, there are several ways of referring to CO2. From "Carbon Emissions" and "Carbon Footprint” to “Carbon Count Number”. Generally all of these terms are referring to the amount of carbon emitted due to your lifestyle.
What is a Carbon / CO2 Calculator?
A Carbon / CO2 Calculator allows you as an individual, to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of your daily actions (e.g. heating your home or driving your car). It's a useful tool to help you calculate how much your behaviour has a direct link to, and an impact on, climate change. The change.ie calculator will also give you advice on how you can reduce your emissions based on the specific information you have provided.
Who is producing the change.ie Calculator?
Agency.com, CawleyNea/TBWA, Mary Murphy PR and RPS Project communications are developing this website and the calculator on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Together with the AMEE (The World’s Energy Meter), a common database for carbon footprint measuring and profiling, we have developed the change.ie carbon calculator.
We are also working closely with other government departments and organisations, such as the EPA, SEI, Met Eireann, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transport and Teagasc, under a Scientific and Technical Advisory Group to ensure that the underlying data and conversion factors are robust and agreed across government and constantly updated as data become available.
What areas of my life will the Calculator cover?
We all consume energy - produced from carbon-rich fossil fuels - to heat and light our homes and run our electrical appliances, and we use petrol and diesel made from fossil fuels to run our cars. These can be known as direct emissions, that is, those produced directly from our activities and which we have direct control over. The calculator will take these direct CO2 emission producers into account.
However, we also contribute to carbon dioxide emissions through "embedded" energy that has been used to produce and transport consumer products and food. These indirect emissions are also important, but as an individual you have a stronger influence over the emissions that you cause directly, so the change.ie Calculator will only concentrate on direct emissions in this first phase.
Please note: The Calculator will not provide data on emissions of other greenhouse gases, but will indicate that certain actions, in particular, air travel, do have wider impacts on the climate beyond those from carbon dioxide emissions.
Will it be relevant to my particular lifestyle?
When we created our Calculator we wanted it to be flexible enough to be able to take into account the different ways in which people live. We hope that it will be able to give you tailored recommendations and suggest simple actions that you and your family can take which relate to your particular circumstances.
To ensure that the Calculator is easy to use, it was not, at this stage, possible to include every type of dwelling and heating system (e.g.mobile homes, Aga Range cookers).
Basis of calculation
What information will I need to enter? Will I need my energy and fuel bills handy?
To use the Calculator you will need to provide some basic data that includes: the type of home you live in; its main heating system; what types of appliances and gadgets you own; frequency of how you use them; what type of car/motorbike you own; and how many journeys you take per year.
You don't need to have your fuel bills to hand to use our Calculator, but if you did it would make your final Carbon Count Number calculation more accurate.
How accurate will the Calculator be?
If you have home energy bills and car mileage to hand, then it will be possible for the Calculator to give you an accurate profile. But we also want you to be able to use the Calculator with just the information you hold in your head. Naturally the result will be approximate and based on averages. The Calculator is not designed to give you an official reading of the energy rating of your home (this can only be done by a qualified assessor); rather it's a simple tool to help increase your understanding of climate change and your impact on it
Will the Calculator give me a result in carbon, carbon dioxide or euros?
The calculator will give you your annual results in tonnes of carbon dioxide, although we do show equivalents in terms of carbon numbers sizes, comparing your carbon number to the European average, as well as a target number to aim for as you follow the action plan to reduce your CO2 emissions.
Results
Why are my emissions higher than the European Average when I consider myself to be quite "green" in lifestyle?
There are a number of areas of your life that could be significantly contributing to your carbon number or footprint. Home heating and transport choices can individually make the biggest impact. If your family lives in a large or very old house you are likely to use more energy for heating than an equivalent family in a modern or smaller house. Or, if you have electric heating, rather than gas central heating, your Home section will probably be higher than the average as gas heating is more carbon efficient than electric heating systems. Similarly, if you make long-haul, domestic or frequent short-haul flights then this will have a significant impact on your overall result.
We have provided information split into the different impact areas to help you identify the areas where you have the most potential to make savings. Some areas you will have more control over than others – you are best placed to decide in which areas of your life you are willing or able to make changes to reduce your impact.
Why does my neighbour have a significantly lower number then me, even though we live in similar houses and have similar lifestyles?
This could be due to a number of different factors – you will need to compare individual components of your number or footprint to identify the reasons for the differences. Individual behaviour in heating the home and avoiding waste of heat, hot water or electricity can have a significant impact when added up, as can your choice of appliances and gadgets such as large plasma TV sets and large American style fridges. Individual travel behaviour can also have a significant impact on your overall number; one long haul return flight can add a significant number of tonnes to your carbon footprint.
Why are a number of impacts not currently covered in the CO2 Calculator? How will the Calculator improve in future versions?
This Carbon Calculator takes many areas of your life into account, including energy and heating in your home and your travel needs.
However, this Calculator does not include areas such as:
- your food and clothing purchases
- your waste going to landfill
- the water you use
We intend as this campaign develops to include more and more detail in the Calculator so that you can include the above areas and get an even more accurate Carbon Count Number. But in the meantime you still can reduce your number by looking at the tips and actions for food waste and water on www.change.ie.
What is meant by the Irish CO2 emission factor for electricity?
The CO2 Emission Factor for Irish electricity supply is basically the "carbon intensity" of a unit of energy. So for example, a unit of energy created totally from fossil fuel will have a much higher carbon emission factor than a unit of energy made from a mixture of fossil fuels, and renewable energy.. The carbon factor we are using has been calculated using the most recent complete datasets available for major power producers ESB, Airtricity and Bord Gais
Action Plan
Why does the action plan recommend things that I'm not allowed or able to do in my type of home?
It may be that you live in accommodation where there are restrictions due to a lease or rental agreement. The action plan recommendations cover a wide range of situations and do not, at the moment, differentiate between these circumstances. If the recommendations involve parts of your home for which you need to get permission (eg wall insulation) why not discuss them with your landlord or freeholder? You would gain the benefit of reducing your carbon number and lower energy costs, while they would get an enhanced asset.
Technical
I can't see all of the navigation buttons at the edge of the screen. What do I have to change to see them all?
Your screen resolution needs to be increased beyond 800x600 pixels. This can be changed via control panel/display/settings; the ideal is 1280x1024 or better to see the whole image. However, staying at the 800x600 resolution will not affect the working of the calculator.
Do you have a questions or message for the Change campaign? Please feel free to contact us by filling in the form below.