• 2022/2023 - this Carbon Footprint report was produced by the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the University of Exeter.
• 2021/2022 – this Carbon Footprint report produced by the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the University of Exeter.
• 2020/2021 - this Carbon Footprint report produced by the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the University of Exeter also sets out opportunities, actions, and targets required to reduce carbon emissions across all Council operations. It is from the opportunities presented in this report that the Carbon Reduction Plan was created.
• 2018/2019 - this Carbon Footprint report was produced by the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the University of Exeter.

 

Our carbon footprint

Metric	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Offset carbon (tCO2e)	-468	-333	-423	-365	-334
Scope 3 (tCO2e)	27906	30631	33277	31400	29500
Scope 2 (tCO2e)	5757	5295	4537	4396	3974
Scope 1 (tCO2e)	12551	13587	13094	13023	13355
Total Net Carbon Footprint (tCO2e)	45746	49181	50485	48454	46495

 

Figures in the table above have been revised for 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 for the following reasons:

• More accurate calculation methods for procurement emissions
• Moving from European Reporting Guidelines (ERG) emission factors to UK Carbon Footprint factors
• Non-domestic buildings owned by ECC that are leased out have been included

 

Scope 1 – Direct greenhouse gas emissions and removals

Direct emissions from stationary combustion, mobile combustion, direct fugitive emissions.

Direct emissions arising from the combustion of fuels (for example, natural gas or oil) on-site in plant (for example boilers or generators) within the organisational boundaries of the reporting organisation. Here this includes all energy consumed in boilers from non-domestic buildings, and social housing.

 

Scope 2 – Energy greenhouse gas indirect emissions

Indirect emissions from imported electricity consumed

These are indirect emissions associated with the import of electricity. It excludes upstream emissions associated with the production of fuels feeding power stations, embodied emission associated with the production of generation plant, and the transmission and distribution network (these are captured within Scope 3). In practice, this will be electricity consumption from buildings, and increasingly vehicles.

 

Scope 3 – Other indirect greenhouse gas emissions

Included: Energy-related activities not included in direct emissions and energy indirect emissions, Purchased goods and services, Capital equipment, Waste generated from organisational activities, Business travel, Employee commuting, Homeworking

These are indirect emissions associated upstream activities associated with fuel and electricity consumption by the reporting organisation. Examples include the extraction, production, transport, and distribution of fuel and energy. In practice, this will be an additional well to tank (WTT) uplift on all fuel use from stationary and mobile construction, imported electricity and energy consumed from a physical network, upstream transport and distribution, business travel, client and visitor travel upstream leased assets, downstream transport, product use, and leased assets, and employee commuting.

 

Offsetting

This section covers any offset emissions, which could include generated and exported renewable energy, or purchased carbon credits. Figures do not include energy generated used in buildings or operations, only exported renewable energy.