Defra 2023 Emissions Factors Released

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have just released the 2023 edition of conversion factors for calculating greenhouse gas emissions.

The factors cover emissions from a wide range of activities including energy, transportation, water and waste disposal.

What’s changed?

Below you can see the Scope 2 emissions of the UK’s electricity generation over time from the annual Defra factors, showing a gradual decline in carbon intensity over time as renewables enter the UK’s electricity mix.

One interesting update is the 7.19% increase in the carbon intensity of the UK’s Scope 2 electricity generation, this likely coming from an increase in the use of coal and natural gas in the preceding year as fuel shortages became apparent. This is the first increase in the carbon intensity of the UK’s grid since 2014.

You can see our discussion on the likely future changes to the UK grid carbon impact here, where we discuss the Future Energy Scenarios from the National Grid and what this means for operational carbon reductions.

To access the 2023 Defra factors, please visit here.

Need help?

Calculating an accurate and meaningful trend in your greenhouse gas emissions is essential for effective carbon and environmental management.

If you need any help in effectively utilising emissions factors, or are interested in understanding your business’ carbon footprint, you can get in touch with us here, or view our carbon footprinting services.

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