Estimate a data center’s electricity-related emissions by defining the facility and reporting period, totaling its electricity use, and multiplying that energy by a location- and year-appropriate emissions factor. Keep the result’s accounting boundary clear: a location-based Scope 2 estimate is not the same as a market-based result, and transmission losses may be reported separately.
1. Define the facility boundary and reporting period
Choose whether the calculation covers one facility or a portfolio, then set a calendar or fiscal year (or another clearly stated period). Include all electricity meters serving the facilities in scope. If tenant or equipment submeters are already included in a facility meter total, do not add them again.
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Boundary choices affect the result. State whether the total includes tenant loads and ancillary equipment, and apply the same boundary to every energy figure and emissions calculation.
2. Find the facility’s electricity use
Use utility bills, interval data, or facility-meter readings for the same reporting period and boundary. The U.S. EPA recommends collecting electricity use in megawatt-hours (MWh), generally from billing records, and summing the covered facilities’ use for the analysis period. See EPA’s eGRID guidance on determining emissions from electricity use.
If records give the total in kilowatt-hours (kWh), convert to MWh by dividing by 1,000. For example, 2,400,000 kWh is 2,400 MWh. Use complete, period-matched data where possible; identify estimated or missing meter periods rather than treating them as measured consumption.
3. Estimate facility energy from IT energy only when necessary
If a facility-wide electricity total is unavailable, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) can be used to estimate it from IT equipment energy, provided both figures cover the same period and boundary:
Estimated facility energy = IT equipment energy × PUE
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The Green Grid defines PUE as total data center energy divided by IT equipment energy. It reflects supporting facility loads such as power delivery, cooling, and lighting; it is not an emissions factor. Prefer a direct facility-meter total when available. For the definition, see The Green Grid’s PUE and DCiE metrics paper.
4. Choose an emissions factor that matches the location and year
An electricity emissions factor describes emissions per unit of electricity. It varies by grid geography and factor vintage, so record the source, location, year, and units alongside the calculation.
For a U.S. location-based estimate
Use the applicable EPA eGRID subregion output emission rate. EPA’s subregions reflect physical grid constraints, and its Power Profiler can identify a subregion from a ZIP code. See EPA’s Power Profiler and eGRID data and downloads. Use a factor vintage appropriate to the reporting year rather than carrying an older factor forward without explanation. EPA’s Emission Factors Hub lists its January 2025 annual update and eGRID-derived electricity factors.
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For locations outside the United States
Use the applicable official factor from the local government or grid operator, following the relevant reporting standard. The GHG Protocol advises using supplier-specific factors where available; otherwise use regional or power-pool government factors, then a national average where more local factors are unavailable. See the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.
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5. Calculate and label the result
For EPA’s eGRID location-based method, multiply the electricity use in MWh by the eGRID output emission rate in pounds per MWh:
Emissions (lb) = electricity use (MWh) × eGRID output emission rate (lb/MWh)
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For a hypothetical example, if a facility used 2,400 MWh and its applicable factor were 700 lb/MWh, the result would be 1,680,000 lb. This example illustrates the arithmetic only; it is not a typical data center factor or emissions estimate. Convert to kilograms by multiplying pounds by 0.453592, or to metric tonnes by dividing kilograms by 1,000. State the units in the reported result.
EPA describes this eGRID calculation as location-based Scope 2 emissions from electricity use. Document the factor’s geography and vintage with the result so another reader can reproduce it.
6. Keep Scope 2 and other accounting results separate
Location-based and market-based Scope 2 figures answer different accounting questions. If reporting under the GHG Protocol and market-based data apply, calculate and present that result separately, disclosing the contractual instruments and factors used. Do not blend it with the location-based calculation without identifying the method.
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Transmission and distribution losses are also a separate consideration. EPA’s grid gross-loss estimate may be used for Scope 3 reporting; do not silently add it to the location-based Scope 2 result. Refer to EPA’s Scope 3 inventory guidance and the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.
What to include in a reproducible estimate
- Facility or portfolio boundary, including treatment of tenant and ancillary loads.
- Reporting period and whether electricity data are complete, measured, or estimated.
- Electricity total, source records, and units.
- Whether energy is directly metered or inferred from IT energy and PUE.
- Emissions-factor source, grid geography, vintage, and units.
- Accounting method: location-based or market-based Scope 2.
- Whether transmission and distribution losses are reported separately as Scope 3.
How to compare two facilities or estimates
Check boundaries and periods before comparing totals. Then compare whether facility energy was metered or derived from PUE, whether both estimates use comparable factor sources and vintages, and whether they use the same Scope 2 method. A lower PUE alone does not establish lower total carbon: electricity volume and grid emissions intensity also determine the emissions result.
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