National Averages (NA) are 'conversion factors' that are based on typical values for various business activities. These include average figures for electricity and heat consumption, waste generation, employee commuting by transport mode, and remote working frequency.
Companies can use National Averages as a proxy to estimate their carbon emissions when detailed activity-specific data is unavailable. By combining data with the average incidence of particular activities at a national level with available Organisational data, businesses can approximate their carbon footprint for particular emissions categories.
While National Averages offer a useful starting point for estimating carbon emissions, actual emissions can vary significantly based on industry, location, and other specific factors. As such, these estimates are often used as a preliminary step when more detailed, company-specific data is unavailable.
Which categories are eligible for National Averages?
National averages are automatically applied to the following categories once you upload Organisational data:
Purchased electricity
Purchased heat
Waste generated in operations
Employee commuting (including Work from Home)
What conditions must be met for National Average calculations to apply? (with example)
National Average calculations are triggered each month where Organisational data is available but no business activity data (including Bring Your Own Emissions) has been provided.
For example, if Organisational data for 'Facility A' covers January to June 2021, but Purchased electricity data is uploaded only for January to March, the platform will calculate Purchased electricity emissions for January to March based on the uploaded data, then fall back to National Averages for April to June.
National Average FAQ
When should I use National Averages?
When should I use National Averages?
One of the core guiding principles in emissions management and carbon accounting is to always use the most accurate data possible. You should strive to improve the accuracy of collected data over time if it's not possible to reach a fully accurate level from the beginning.
In cases where you are not able to provide accurate data, you can use the default National Averages, meanwhile informing relevant team members to improve your company’s activity data moving forward.
How do I opt out of National Averages?
How do I opt out of National Averages?
If you don’t want to use National Averages to calculate emissions for Purchased Electricity, Purchased Heat, Waste Generated in Operations or Employee Commuting you can upload a file with the value set to 0 for the respective time and facility in that category.
This will block National Average calculations from being generated. To successfully deactivate the National Average calculations for a specific category, the file with value set to 0 must cover a time period of at least one month.
Are National Averages sector-specific?
Are National Averages sector-specific?
No. National Averages are location and time-specific only. The sector/industry is not considered in calculations.
In the majority of cases, locations are countries, however, state-specific averages can be applied for purchased electricity in the United States. Locations are indicated in emissions data templates using two-letter ISO codes. For a full list of location codes, please see here.
How do National Averages calculate Work from Home emissions?
How do National Averages calculate Work from Home emissions?
National Averages for Employee commute and Waste generated in operations use 'per employee' metrics to calculate emissions. This is done by deriving an 'Office Employees Coefficient' from your Organisational data, capturing the average number of employees coming into the office daily. This coefficient is based on the number of employees per facility, the number working from home, and their average remote working days. Together, these factors estimate the total employee hours spent at a facility each month.
For Employee commute, this approach allows us to estimate the number of journeys made to and from work. For Waste Generated in operations, it determines the days each employee spends on-site, reflecting the amount of waste they produce at the facility.
Disclaimer: As with other categories, it is imperative that your facility names remain consistent to avoid triggering National Average calculations multiple times for the same facility.
Plan A compiles National Average data when it is available, but for certain countries or emissions categories, none exists, and regional data (i.e. Europe) is used. These averages do not represent industry specific emissions.