Carbon Footprint Calculator
What is your carbon footprint?
Take a few minutes to find out with EPA's Household Carbon Footprint Calculator.
About
- Many of our daily activities - such as using electricity, driving a car, or disposing of waste - cause greenhouse gas emissions. Together these emissions make up a household's carbon footprint.
- The calculator estimates your footprint in three areas: home energy, transportation and waste. Everyone's carbon footprint is different depending on their location, habits, and personal choices.
- For an explanation of the calculator's assumptions and sources, see the Assumptions and References page.
How To
- You can get a quick, rough estimate of your carbon footprint by using U.S. average values. They are provided (along with other useful information) in the "tool tips" throughout the calculator.
- For a more accurate estimate, use your own numbers. Gather your utility bills (electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, propane) to calculate your average use over a year. You can find your car's rated fuel efficiency at fueleconomy.gov, or you can calculate your car's actual efficiency.
Download
- To work offline or see the formulas behind the calculator, you can download it as a spreadsheet.
Household Carbon Footprint Calculator
Home Energy
| Heating | What is your household's primary heating source? | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility | Enter your average monthly bill or other data for each source of energy your household uses. | ||
| Click the icons, below for each U.S. average | |||
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Estimated pounds of CO2/year
| Heating & Cooling | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Free
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℉ |
$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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Free
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℉ |
$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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| Lighting | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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$
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$0
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| Power Source & Settings | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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0 lbs of CO2
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$
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$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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| Washing & Drying | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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Free
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$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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| ENERGY STAR Products | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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| Replace the following products with ENERGY STAR models | ||||
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$$
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$0
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0 lbs of CO2
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$$$
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Note: Only applicable if your Primary Heating Source is Natural Gas or Fuel Oil. |
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| Vehicles | Estimated CO2 Emissions | |||
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| Current Maintenance | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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| Vehicle 1 | ||||
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| Vehicle 2 | ||||
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| Vehicle 4 | ||||
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| Vehicle 5 | ||||
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| Maintenance | Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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| Vehicle 2: | ||||
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| Vehicle 3: | ||||
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$0 |
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| Vehicle 4: | ||||
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$0 |
0 lbs of CO2 |
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0 lbs of CO2 |
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| Vehicle 5: | ||||
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Free |
$0 |
0 lbs of CO2 |
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0 lbs of CO2 |
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| Waste | Estimated CO2 Emissions | |||
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| Average waste emissions for a household of [#] people: | lbs | |||
| Which of the following products do you currently recycle in your household? | ||||
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Free
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0 lbs | ||
| Your total waste emissions after recycling: | 0 lbs | |||
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Start recycling the materials you don't currently recycle
You recycle all common household products. Keep up the good work! Visit Climate Change and Waste for more you can do.
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Estimated Annual Savings | |||
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$
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0 lbs | ||
Congratulations! You have completed all the calculator sections.
Your Household Carbon Footprint
Keep up the good work!
Your Planned Actions Are Equal to:
-
Saving
gallons of gas - Or
-
Planting
trees - Or
-
Recycling
tons of waste
Small Actions Add Up
If 100 of your friends took these actions, over 5 years their households would avoid [#] pounds of emissions, equivalent to the emissions from burning [#] gallons of gasoline.
| If you take all of the new actions you've selected: | Dollar Savings | CO2 Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Turn down heating thermostat on winter nights by 0℉ | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Turn up A/C thermostat in summer by 0℉ | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace 0 incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR lights | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Enable the power management features on your computer | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Wash your clothes in cold water | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Use clothes line or drying rack instead of dryer for 0 of your laundry | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your refrigerator with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your furnace or boiler with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your window with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Use Green Power for 0% of your electricity | 0 lbs. | |
| Perform regular maintenance on your vehicles | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 1 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 1 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 2 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 2 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 3 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 3 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 4 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 4 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 5 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 5 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Recycle | 0 lbs. | |
| Your Estimated Totals: | $ | lbs. |
| By taking all of the actions you are already doing: | Dollar Savings | CO2 Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Turn down heating thermostat on winter nights by 0 ℉ test | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Turn up A/C thermostat in summer by 0 ℉ | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace 0 incandescent light bulds with ENERGY STAR lights | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Enable the power management features on your computer | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Wash your clothes in cold water | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Use clothes line or drying rack instead of dryer for 0 of your laundry | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your refrigerator with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your furnace or boiler with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace your window with ENERGY STAR models | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Perform regular maintenance on your vehicles | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 1 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 1 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 2 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 2 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 3 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 3 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 4 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 4 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Reduce the number of miles you drive on Vehicle 5 | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Replace Vehicle 5 with one that gets MPG | $0 | 0 lbs. |
| Recycle | 0 lbs. | |
| Use Green Power for 0% of your electricity | 0 lbs. | |
| Your Estimated Totals: | $ | lbs. |
For More Information
Visit these websites to learn more about climate change and how you can reduce your carbon footprint.
If you enter your monthly consumption in thousands of cubic feet, you'll get a more accurate estimate. If you enter dollars, our calculations assume that you pay $10.68/thousand cubic feet.
$23/month is about average in the United States for a household of one person.
3,071 pounds of CO2 is about average for a household of one person over a year.
If you enter your average kilowatt-hours, you'll get a more accurate estimate. If you enter dollars, our calculations assume that you pay 11.9 cents/kWh.
$44/month is about average in the United States for a household of one person.
5,384 pounds of CO2 is about average for a household of one person over a year.
If you enter your average monthly fuel oil use in gallons, you'll get a more accurate estimate. If you enter dollars, our calculations assume that you pay $4.02/gallon.
$72/month is about average in the United States for a household of one person.
4,848 pounds of CO2 is about average for a household of one person over a year.
If you enter your monthly propane use in gallons, you'll get a more accurate estimate. If you enter dollars, our calculations assume that you pay $2.47/gallon.
$37/month is about average in the United States for a household of one person.
2,243 pounds of CO2 is about average for a household of one person over a year.
Green power is a type of renewable energy that comes from resources and technologies that provide the most environmental benefit. Learn more about Green Power and Green Power products in your state.
On average, green power costs roughly 2 cents per kWh more than conventional power.
Even though it's a gas, CO2 is measured in units of mass such as pounds, kilograms, and tons. Below are some useful comparisons to put CO2 emissions in context*:
- 100 lb of CO2 = emissions from burning 5 gallons of gasoline
- 500 lb of CO2 = emissions from burning 244 pounds of coal
- 1,000 lb of CO2 = emissions from burning 1.1 barrels of oil
A programmable thermostat can automate turning up the A/C for you. To learn more, visit the Department of Energy's Programmable Thermostats page.
You can only calculate savings for your A/C thermostat if you have input your current electricity usage in the section above.
A programmable thermostat can automate turning down the heat for you. To learn more, visit the Department of Energy's Programmable Thermostats page.
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Check out ENERGY STAR's product listings for more information.
240 miles/week (12,480 miles/year) is about average in the United States, per vehicle.
If you don't know your car's fuel economy, you can look it up at www.fueleconomy.gov. The national average is 21.4 miles per gallon.
11,141 pounds of CO2 emissions is about average for one vehicle over a year.
Visit fueleconomy.gov's Keeping Your Car in Shape page for more information.
Look for opportunities to combine trips, telecommute, use a carpool or ride-sharing program, use public transit if available, or travel by bike or foot instead of by car.
To compare the fuel economy of different vehicles, visit the fueleconomy.gov site.
692 pounds of CO2 equivalent per year is about average for a household of 1 person. Your waste-related emissions are calculated based on the number of people in your household.
Recycling is only one way to reduce your emissions from waste. View Your Report for more you can do.
To complete the calculator, please make a selection in all fields or enter a zero to indicate you will not take the action.
To complete the calculator, please make a selection in all fields or enter a zero to indicate you will not take the action.
Recycling might not save you money (unless you can redeem your bottles), but it's easy and definitely saves resources. Fun fact: recycling just one can saves enough energy to watch TV for three hours!
Using Green Power may not save money, but it avoids harmful emissions and reduces your carbon footprint.
Your local utility or other electricity supplier may offer green power as an option. If you purchase some or all of your electricity as green power, enter the percentage here. For a definition of green power, visit https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpmarket/index.htm.