Preparing your facility’s data for a greenhouse gas inventory

1. Prepare an initial data register

Use one register that connects each activity with its site, meter, period, responsible person and evidence. Start with the records below. Mark missing data explicitly: a blank record must not silently become zero emissions.

• Electricity and purchased heating or cooling bills, readings and units.
• Fuel purchases, stock movements, and vehicle or generator use.
• Refrigerant recharge and replacement logs, including gas type and quantity.
• Production, operating hours, and changes to sites or equipment.
• Available value-chain data, such as purchases, transport, waste and business travel.

2. Define what the inventory includes

Agree the reporting period, entities, sites and consolidation approach, such as operational control where appropriate. Classify direct sources under Scope 1 and purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat and cooling under Scope 2, then screen relevant Scope 3 categories. Starting an energy dataset does not mean that the complete inventory is finished.

3. Check units before choosing calculations

Check overlapping billing periods, duplicate records, and conversions between litres, kilowatt-hours and kilograms. The simplified relationship is activity data × an appropriate emission factor, converted to the reporting unit. Record the factor’s source, year, geography and coverage; do not assume one factor fits every country or activity.

4. Assemble a reviewable evidence package

Keep the source register, assumptions, justified exclusions, missing-data estimates, calculation version and change history together. Separate the calculated inventory from any reduction or offset claim. This package lets a specialist assess data readiness and identify the measurements or records still needed before a report is issued.