Household Emission Calculator
In your home or on the road, daily activities can cause emissions of greenhouse gases. Individuals can produce gas emissions directly by burning oil or gas for home heating or indirectly by using electricity generated from fossil fuel burning.
Within the United States, per person emissions can vary depending on a person’s location, habits and personal choices. For example, the types of fuel used to generate the electricity a person uses can lead to different levels of emissions. A power plant run on coal emits more greenhouse gases per unit of electricity than a power plant that uses natural gas. How much you drive and your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, as well as time spent idling in traffic, also affect the level of emissions. In addition, the amount of recycling done by a person in his or her home can affect emissions by reducing the amount of methane-generating waste sent to landfills.
Through actions at home, at work, and on the road, individuals can affect their greenhouse gas emissions levels. The first step in reducing your greenhouse gas emissions is to identify how much your household emits. You can use this emission calculator to get a rough estimate of your personal or family’s gas emissions and explore the impact of taking various actions to reduce your emissions.
Author : Bradford J. Hurley
