Scope 2 Emissions

What Are Scope 2 Emissions?

Scope 2 covers emissions from purchased energy that is generated offsite and delivered to you. For most organisations, this means grid electricity, but it can also include bought-in heat, cooling or steam.

The emissions physically occur at the power plant or energy facility, not in your buildings. They are attributed to you because they are driven by your energy use.

Under the GHG Protocol, Scope 2 emissions can be reported in two ways – location-based or market-based:

• Location-based: using average emissions from the grid where your energy is consumed.
• Market-based: reflecting specific contracts or tariffs you’ve chosen, such as certain renewable electricity products.

It’s best practice to prioritise high quality activity data (for example, kWh from energy bills) over spend data alone, so that genuine reductions in your energy use are reflected properly in your footprint over time.

Examples of Scope 2 Emissions

In practice, Scope 2 emissions are closely tied to how your buildings and equipment use electricity day to day. Even a relatively simple office can build up a noticeable Scope 2 footprint through lighting, computers and temperature control.

Examples include:

• Electricity for office lighting, laptops, monitors and servers
• Power for ventilation, air conditioning and electric heating
• Bought-in steam, hot water or chilled water from a third party for heating or cooling

How to Calculate Scope 2 Emissions

To calculate Scope 2 emissions, you combine measured energy use with emission factors.

You will typically collect:

• Electricity consumption (kWh) by meter, site or location
• Any breakdown by tariff, supplier or contract, where relevant
• Meter readings or contract data for purchased heat, steam or cooling

Emission factors for electricity are based on how the grid is supplied (the mix of generation technologies) and how efficiently power stations operate. These are compiled into databases such as the UK Government’s emission factor sets.

These emission factors can then be applied to your data, to convert the results into CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) - a standard unit that expresses the impact of different greenhouse gases in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide that would cause the same level of warming.

How to Reduce Scope 2 Emissions

Reducing Scope 2 emissions is mainly about using less energy and, where appropriate, improving the carbon profile of the energy you buy.

Practical steps include:

• Upgrading to efficient lighting, appliances and equipment, and using timers, sensors and power-saving settings
• Optimising building controls to avoid over-heating or over-cooling and turning systems off outside working hours
• Reviewing electricity contracts and, where appropriate, selecting suitable renewable tariffs, while being transparent about what they represent
• Exploring on-site renewables or other longer-term changes where feasible
• Only using A/C units when required, and as a last-resort.

The Seedling platform makes Scope 2 reporting straightforward by helping you collect high-quality energy data (like kWh from bills), apply the right emission factors, and report both location-based and market-based figures in line with the GHG Protocol - with an expert on hand if you face any difficulties. It also turns that data into clear dashboards and practical reduction planning, so efficiency improvements and tariff changes show up properly in your footprint over time.