Carbon Footprint Calculator
Enter your household energy use, driving, and flight data to see your annual CO2 footprint with a breakdown chart and offset cost estimates.
With the default inputs (900 kWh of electricity and 50 therms of gas a month, 12,000 miles at 28 MPG, and two short flights and one long flight a year), a household emits about 12.77 tonnes of CO2e a year.
Use the Carbon Footprint Calculator
Your Annual Activity
Average US household: ~900 kWh/month
Average US household: ~50 therms/month
Your Annual Carbon Footprint
Emission Breakdown
Fill in your activity data and click Calculate
Quick answer
With the default inputs (900 kWh of electricity and 50 therms of gas a month, 12,000 miles at 28 MPG, and two short flights and one long flight a year), a household emits about 12.77 tonnes of CO2e a year. Electricity is the largest part at 4.17 t. The tool counts home energy, driving and flights, not food or shopping.
Examples
| Source (default inputs) | Factor used | CO2e per year |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity, 900 kWh a month | 0.386 kg per kWh | 4,169 kg |
| Natural gas, 50 therms a month | 5.3 kg per therm | 3,180 kg |
| Driving, 12,000 mi at 28 MPG | 8.887 kg per gallon | 3,809 kg |
| Flights, 2 short and 1 long | 255 kg and 1,100 kg per flight | 1,610 kg |
| Total | 12,768 kg (12.77 t) |
Enter your energy use and travel.
Summary
This calculator estimates your household's annual CO2-equivalent emissions from four major sources: home electricity use, natural gas heating, personal vehicle miles driven, and commercial flights. It applies widely accepted emission factors from the US EPA and IPCC to convert each activity into kilograms of CO2e. The result is broken down visually so you can see which category drives the most impact and how much it would cost to offset through certified carbon credit programs.
How it works
- Enter your monthly electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours (check your utility bill).
- Enter your monthly natural gas use in therms, or leave it at 0 if you use another heating source.
- Enter the total miles you drive per year and your vehicle's average fuel efficiency in MPG.
- Enter the number of short-haul and long-haul flights you take per year.
- Click "Calculate" to see your total annual CO2e in kilograms and tonnes.
- Review the pie chart breakdown and the suggested carbon offset cost range.
Use cases
- Understand your personal or household contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Identify which lifestyle area — energy, driving, or flying — has the biggest impact.
- Set a baseline before switching to an electric vehicle or renewable energy plan.
- Estimate how much you would spend to become carbon-neutral through offset purchases.
- Use the data to plan meaningful emission reductions before buying offsets.
- Share results with a sustainability team or school project.
- Compare before-and-after footprints when making eco-friendly life changes.
- Quickly demonstrate emission concepts to clients or students.