Operational carbon verification

Operational emissions

Operational emissions are the emissions associated with the consumption of electricity, gas and other fuels needed to power, heat, cool ventilate and light your asset, plus the energy required to operate appliances and lifts.

According to the World Green Building Council, the operational emissions from the built environment comprise about 28 per cent of the world’s total carbon emissions.

This proportion is more than double the percentage of global emissions contributed by embodied carbon. That’s one reason efforts to cut emissions from buildings have historically focused mainly on the operational variety, through steps such as enhancing an assets energy efficiency.

Operational emissions have also been reduced through the ongoing decarbonisation of the UK energy grid.

Your operational footprint

Your operational footprint should reflect the emissions from your asset over a period of one year. It should account for emissions associated with:
  • Energy Consumption
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Waste Generation
  • Water Use
  • On site renewable energy generation

Our process

Our typical operational emission verifying process consists of the following stages:
  • Initial meeting, at which we agree on the scope of the assessment. The timescale for completing the verification process will be agreed here.
  • After receiving items such as your policies, supporting data and calculations, we develop the audit plan that the verification process will follow.
  • We audit and review your operational carbon report, the data and calculations used to produce it, to establish whether the details you’ve provided are accurate.
  • GBTS then reviews your policies and procedures to confirm whether the data supporting your carbon claims has been collected and analysed correctly.
  • We provide you with a summary of our initial findings. This includes highlighting any corrections you need to make or non-compliance you should address.
  • When we’re happy with all your data, we issue your verification report.
  • There should then be an annual review of your operational footprint, following measures being enacted to cut your emissions year-on-year within an agreed timeframe to achieve net-zero.

Benefits

The advantages of possessing a minimised embodied carbon footprint, which has been independently verified by an expert third party like us, are numerous and varied. Click below to find out more.

Have Questions?

Get in touch

If you’re interested in our services or would like to discuss your needs further, please contact us.