Reduce your footprint. Visit our new green living section to learn more.

Carbon footprinting is fun! Use the form below to find out your current fuel emissions. After you fill out the first part of the form and find out your footprint, click "submit" to see how your footprint compares to other folks who have used this calculator. Then, scroll down to see how you can reduce your carbon footprint.

The calculator is courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Click here to send us questions/comments.

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Your Current Household Emissions
  Enter your data Pounds of carbon dioxide/year*
The Basics
How many people live in your home?  
How do you heat your house? Natural Gas  
Electric Heat   Oil		  
Transportation
On average, how many miles do you put on your household's most-used car?
Per Week Per Year

231 miles/week is about average in the United States per vehicle.		  
What is the average gas mileage for the car (miles per gallon)?
If you don’t know your car’s fuel economy, you can look it up at fueleconomy.gov.
(calculated automatically)
12,100 pounds is about
average per vehicle over a year.
Home Energy
What is your average monthly gas bill?
(Leave blank if your household doesn't use gas.)
$105 is about average in the United States for a household of two people.

Our calculations assume that you pay $13.83/thousand cubic feet
(calculated automatically)
11,000 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
What is your average monthly electric bill?
$100 is about average in the United States for a household of two people.

Our calculations assume that you pay 10 cents/kWh. We estimate your emissions based on the national average mix of fuels used to generate electricity. Your actual emissions may be higher or lower depending on your electricity provider's power mix.
(calculated automatically)
16,290 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
What is your average monthly fuel oil bill?
(Leave blank if your household doesn't use oil.)
$130 is about average in the United States for a household of two people.

Our calculations assume that you pay $2.37/gallon
(calculated automatically)
14,500 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
Waste
Based on the number of people in your household, the box at right shows your estimated greenhouse gas emissions from waste. However, if you currently recycle certain materials, your waste emissions may be lower. Total Waste Emissions Before Recycling
(calculated automatically)
2,020 pounds is about average for a household of two people over a year.
Which of the following products do you currently recycle in your household?    
Do you recycle newspaper? Yes  No 
(calculated automatically)
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle glass? Yes  No 
(calculated automatically)
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle plastic? Yes  No 
(calculated automatically)
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Do you recycle aluminum and steel cans? Yes  No 
(calculated automatically)
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
   Total Waste Emissions After Recycling
(calculated automatically)
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
Your Total Emissions
  The calculator provides a rough estimate of your household's total emissions
(calculated automatically)
41,500 pounds is about average in the United States for a household of two people over a year.
Submit your emissions calculations. Your anonymous submission will help the Daily Press calculate the average emissions footprint in our region. Once you submit your calculations, we'll tell you how you stack up against others. submit

 

What You Can Do to Reduce Emissions
On the Road
   

Amount of CO2
you can avoid per year
Are you in the market for a new car? Buy a vehicle that gets more miles per gallon than your current one.
more miles per gallon

The Fuel Economy Web site can help you find efficient vehicles.
pounds
percent of your total emissions
Give your car a break. Reduce the number of miles you drive by this amount.
miles Per Week    Per Year

When running errands, combine trips. Using mass transit, carpooling, telecommuting, biking and walking are also good options.
pounds
percent of your total emissions
At Home
   

Amount of CO2
you can avoid per year
Turn down your heating thermostat by degrees Fahrenheit on winter nights.
 Dropping the heat at night can make a difference.
pounds
percent of your total emissions
Replace 75-watt incandescent light bulbs with 25-watt ENERGY STAR lights. (Enter the number of bulbs you will replace.)
 You'll get the same amount of light for less energy and lower monthly bills. By replacing the five most frequently used lights in your home with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting, you can save about $60 each year in energy costs.
pounds
percent of your total emissions
Replace your old refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR model. Will you take this action?
Yes   No
New refrigerators, especially ENERGY STAR models, cost much less to operate than old ones.
pounds
percent of your total emissions
Replace old gas or oil furnace or boiler with an ENERGY STAR model. Will you take this action?
Yes  No  		New models are much more efficient and cheaper to run.
pounds

percent of your total emissions
Turn up your air conditioner thermostat by degrees Fahrenheit in summer.
 You'll save money as well as reduce your emissions.
pounds
percent of your total emissions

Replace single-glazed windows with ENERGY STAR windows. Will you take this action?
Yes   No

This step can save you a bundle in cold or hot climates.


pounds
percent of your total emissions
Waste
Based on your selection, you indicated that
Yes  No 
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
percent of your total emissions
Could you also recycle magazines? Yes  No 
Pounds of carbon dioxide/year
percent of your total emissions
Your Totals
If you took all the actions listed above, you would reduce your emissions by
pounds per year
percent of your total emissions
Your new total annual CO2 emissions would be
pounds per year		  

*Emissions from waste and emissions savings from recycling are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents.

For a more detailed analysis of fuel costs and emissions from your car, visit EPA’s and the Department of Energy’s Fuel Economy Web site.

For more detailed estimates of your home energy use (electricity, gas, and oil) and emissions, use ENERGY STAR’s Home Energy Yardstick tool. The ENERGY STAR site also provides ideas on a wide range of energy-saving products.

For information on climate change and waste, visit the Waste section of the What You Can Do section of this Web site. EPA has developed emissions calculators to help individuals and organizations determine the greenhouse gas impact of their purchasing, manufacturing, and waste management, which are available on the Climate Change and Waste Tools page.

A spreadsheet version (Microsoft Excel, 63kb) of the calculator is also available; it includes descriptions of the formulas used in each step of the calculator.

For an explanation of the assumptions and sources used by this calculator, click here. Keep in mind that average per person emissions estimates or per capita emissions estimates are usually derived from national estimates of GHG emissions, which include GHG emissions from all sources in the U.S., including industrial emissions (emissions from manufacturing of goods and services). As a result, if you compare your estimates from the personal emissions calculator to per capita emissions in the U.S., they may differ significantly.