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As most companies need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, so they turn to a carbon footprint calculator. Organizations can now much more easily recognize their greenhouse gas emissions, put in place measures to reduce and then assess benchmarks to see how they are progressing.

Within the past several years, there have been many efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Among them are the U.S. Clean Air Act and The Climate Registry, which is a nonprofit agency that sets uniform standards for calculating, verifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. Membership in The Climate Registry is voluntary, however most North American states, provinces, territories and native sovereign nations are participating.

The carbon footprint calculator is a valuable tool in which facilities can enter data about their daily operations in areas that contribute greatly to greenhouse gas emissions. Energy use, waste generation, purchased materials and transportation are among the main areas that play a major role in the emitting of harmful gases into the environment.

It is becoming increasingly critical for businesses to measure their carbon footprint. The current and future health of the planet depends on it. New research shows that certain gases are depleting the ozone layer and contributing to global warming. Because these gases remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, steps must be taken now to slow their damage. These measures include reducing carbon emissions.

By using a carbon footprint calculator, businesses will be able to measure how much of the environmentally harmful gases they use. These substances include carbon dioxide, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs). According to scientists, these gases contribute to the earths warming, which could lead to extreme heat waves, rising sea levels and severe harm to humans, animals, plant life and marine life, if no action is taken to stop the damaging effects.

Under EPA requirements, a business can now use a carbon footprint calculator to identify the extent of their gas emissions, creating a management plan, establish goals and report their findings. Companies that have multiple buildings or locations will find the calculator to be of particular benefit.

Data is entered into a carbon footprint calculator representing Emissions Factors and Global Warming Potential, for each source. Sources are defined as being either direct or indirect, with direct emissions being those classified from equipment or other sources owned or operated by a company and indirect emissions being used by a company during its daily operations, but supplied by another source. The former will cover commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning or heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, whilst the latter may involve the use of electricity or heat. Total emissions are factored by multiplying EF and GWP at each source.

With the complexity of the data that needs to be input to a carbon footprint calculator, most companies with AC/HVAC systems in offices, stores, hospitals, warehouses, etc., are turning to refrigerant management programs that are computerized and include a carbon calculator to handle the tedious monitoring, tracking and reporting tasks with ease.