How to override emission factors

Emission factors convert consumption into emissions: how many kilos of CO₂ a kilowatt-hour of electricity or a cubic metre of district heating corresponds to.

Emission factors convert consumption into emissions: how many kilos of CO₂ a kilowatt-hour of electricity or a cubic metre of district heating corresponds to. Properate has default values, and this is where you override them when you have your own figures to use.

The levels factors are set at

The description says it: Emission factors can be configured for all of Properate, for an organization, or for an individual building.

Values are inherited downwards. The Inherited from ancestors panel shows what currently applies, with the explanation Default values inherited from parent settings. They apply unless overridden below.

If you haven't chosen a level, it says Select a scope.

How to add an emission factor

Click Climate factors at the bottom of the sidebar.

Choose the scope — all of Properate, an organization, or a building.

Click Add period or Create period, and set the Start date.

Click Add emission factor.

Fill in the New emission factor:

Type — Select category and type among Energy, Fuel, Transport, Waste and Water

Factor — the value itself

Unit — The unit follows the selected type.

Method — Location-based or Market-based

Source — e.g. DEFRA, AIB, NVE

Reference — URL, document title, table, or other audit reference

Valid from

Save.

You get Emission factors saved. If it fails: Couldn't save emission factors. Try again.

If the scope has no override, it says No emission factor overrides with Add an emission factor for this scope.

Location-based or market-based?

This is the choice that matters most to the figures:

Location-based uses the emission intensity of the grid where the building sits.

Market-based uses the factor following from the power contract — guarantees of origin and the like.

Note: The two methods can give very different figures for the same consumption. Climate reporting under the GHG Protocol requires you to be explicit about which you use, and to use it consistently. Don't mix them between buildings in the same report.

Valid from — how time periods work

The hint explains the logic: Applies from the selected year until a new value is added. Leave empty for all earlier years.

A factor therefore applies forwards until the next one takes over. If you want factors to apply all the way back, leave the start date blank — Leave blank to apply from the beginning of time. The field then shows as From the beginning.

Note: Change a factor for a year that has already been reported and the historical emission figures change with it. So enter new factors with the right Valid from rather than editing the old one — that keeps the history as it was reported.

The reference isn't optional in practice

Reference takes a URL, document title, table, or other audit reference. The field exists because emission figures get audited: whoever checks the climate accounts asks where the factor comes from, and Source alone — "NVE" — isn't enough. The reference should point at the specific table or publication.

The history

Emission factor history logs the changes as Added, Modified and Deleted, and shows them concretely:

Factor set to {factor} {unit}.

Factor: {before} → {after} {unit}.

Deleted factor: {factor} {unit}.

That log is what lets a changed emission figure be explained after the fact.

Frequently asked questions

Where do the emissions matter?

The split between energy sources determines emissions together with the factors — see How to see the split between energy sources.

Can I remove an override?

Yes, use Remove emission factor or Delete period. The scope then falls back on the inherited value.

Where do I see which factor actually applies?

The Inherited from ancestors panel, with its Scope column. Go to factor scope takes you to the level the value is set at.

The factors won't load?

Couldn't load emission factors. — use Retry.

Tip!

Set the factors at organization level and override per building only where the building genuinely has a different power contract or district heating supplier. Factors set building by building diverge over time, and then the portfolio's emission figures aren't summable.