UK grid electricity emission factor by year
| Year | Scope 2 (kg CO2e per kWh) | Well-to-tank | Grid losses | Full figure | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.13096 | 0.040410 | 0.012990 | 0.18436 | -26.0% |
| 2025 | 0.17700 | 0.049870 | 0.018530 | 0.24540 | -14.5% |
| 2024 | 0.20705 | 0.049870 | 0.018300 | 0.27522 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.20707 | 0.049870 | 0.017915 | 0.27486 | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 0.19338 | 0.050480 | 0.017690 | 0.26155 | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 0.21233 | 0.060180 | 0.018790 | 0.29130 | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 0.23314 | 0.034940 | 0.020050 | 0.28813 | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 0.25560 | 0.038680 | 0.021700 | 0.31598 | – |
Total kg CO2e for the seven greenhouse gases, from the official DESNZ files for each year. 2026 factor ID: 7_400_4000_5_1. Where a factor jumps sharply between two years, it is usually because DESNZ changed its method or data source, not because the activity itself changed.
Worked example
Take a small office using 50,000 kWh a year. 50,000 kWh × 0.13096 kg CO2e = 6.55 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 2. Adding well-to-tank and grid losses brings the full figure to 9.22 tonnes CO2e; the extra 2.67 tonnes are Scope 3 category 3.
How to report it
The grid factor is the average carbon intensity of electricity generated in the UK. It falls most years as coal has gone and wind and solar have grown, so the same kWh produce fewer emissions each year.
This is your location-based Scope 2 figure, and it is what PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans and SECR reports use as standard. If you buy a renewable tariff backed by REGO certificates, you can also show a market-based figure, which can be zero, but report the location-based figure alongside it.
Grid losses (transmission and distribution) and the emissions from producing and transporting the fuels burned in power stations (well-to-tank) are Scope 3 category 3. They are shown separately below.
Where the data comes from
You'll usually find it in your electricity bills or your supplier's half-hourly data, in kWh. Keep the source documents: anyone checking your Carbon Reduction Plan or SECR report may ask how each figure was worked out.
To convert your own figures straight away, use our free kWh to CO2e calculator, which shows 2026 and 2025 side by side.
Read more about how the factors change each year in our guide to the 2026 conversion factors, or see how we apply them in our methodology.
Related emission factors
- Natural gas: 0.18231 kg CO2e per kWh
- Average battery electric car: 0.043220 kg CO2e per mile
- Homeworking: 0.32393 kg CO2e per full-time-equivalent working hour
- All UK emission factors