Requirements and guidelines according to the GHG Protocol
Category 2.3 of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol covers emissions from purchased steam used within a company's operational boundaries. These emissions fall under Scope 2 (indirect emissions) and are caused by the provision of steam by external suppliers. The correct recording of these emissions is essential for accurate CO2 accounting.
Important requirements
Source identification: Companies should identify all sites and processes that purchase steam from external suppliers.
Consumption measurement: This can be recorded from invoices, energy management systems or consumption reports.
Emission factors: Companies should use the specific emission factors for the steam supplied or use national averages.
Site-based and market-based reporting: The GHG Protocol distinguishes between site-based (average grid values) and market-based (contractually secured) emission factors.
Reporting period: The recorded consumption should be assigned to a consistent reporting period (e.g. calendar year).
Units: Purchased steam should be documented in megawatt hours (MWh) or gigajoules (GJ).
Recording in NetCero
Follow these steps to record emissions from purchased steam in NetCero:
Create activity: record all relevant consumption sources (e.g. production facilities, heating systems) as separate activities.
Assign responsibility: Designate a person responsible for data collection and maintenance.
Assign recording object: Assign each activity to the correct business unit to ensure clear allocation.
Select emission factors: Users standardized emission factors from the NetCero database, based on the energy source supplied.
Define your own emission factors: Add company-specific factors if accurate Supplier or contract data is available.
Document steam consumption: Record consumption directly in the table within the activity - based on measurements or invoices.
Automatic emission calculation: NetCero calculates the emissions per activity and integrates them into the overall balance.
Examples of emissions from purchased steam
Example 1: Production plant with externally supplied steam
A factory uses 50,000 GJ of purchased steam per year. If the emission factor for this steam is 0.15 kg CO2e/MJ, the emissions amount to
50,000,000 MJ x 0.15 kgCO2e/MJ = 7,500,000 kgCO2e (7,500 tCO2e)
Example 2: Hospital with steam-based heating system
A hospital uses 10,000 MWh of steam per year for heating. If the site-based emission factor for steam is 0.2 kg CO2e/kWh, the emissions amount to
10,000,000 MJ x 0.2 kgCO2e/MJ = 2,000,000 kgCO2e (2,000 tCO2e)
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