Work out your natural gas emissions
= 65.39 tonnes CO2e in 2026 (Scope 1 (stationary combustion))
Each scf × 0.05450 kg CO2e, the 2026 GHG Emission Factors Hub figure (Cornerstone) for "Natural Gas", CO2, CH4 and N2O combined.
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Natural gas: emission factor by Hub edition (per scf)
From Table 1, Stationary Combustion, row "Natural Gas". The Hub publishes the three gases separately; the kg CO2e column adds them up with the global warming potentials (GWPs) each edition states.
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | GWPs (CH4, N2O) | kg CO2e per scf | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 0.05444 | 0.001030 | 0.0001000 | 27, 273 | 0.05450 | 0.0% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 0.05444 | 0.001030 | 0.0001000 | 28, 265 | 0.05450 | 0.0% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 0.05444 | 0.001030 | 0.0001000 | 28, 265 | 0.05450 | 0.0% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 0.05444 | 0.001030 | 0.0001000 | 25, 298 | 0.05450 | – |
The gases per scf are the same in every edition; the small changes in kg CO2e come only from the GWPs (2023: CH4 25, N2O 298 (IPCC AR4); 2024: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2025: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2026: CH4 27, N2O 273 (IPCC AR6, non-fossil CH4)). Source: US EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub (2023-2025 editions, public domain) and Emission Factors Hub 2026, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, CC BY 4.0.
Per mmBtu
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | kg CO2e per mmBtu | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 53.06 | 1.000 | 0.1000 | 53.11 | 0.0% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 53.06 | 1.000 | 0.1000 | 53.11 | 0.0% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 53.06 | 1.000 | 0.1000 | 53.11 | 0.0% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 53.06 | 1.000 | 0.1000 | 53.11 | – |
That is 5.311 kg CO2e per therm in 2026 (one therm is exactly 0.1 mmBtu).
Worked example
Take an office building that burns 1,200,000 scf a year. 1,200,000 scf × 0.05450 kg CO2e = 65.4 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 1 (stationary combustion).
How to use it
Multiply the fuel burned in the year by the factor and report it as Scope 1 (stationary combustion). The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard asks for Scope 1 and 2 in every inventory, and large customers collecting supplier data (including under California's SB 253) will expect fuel to be in it.
The Hub gives natural gas per standard cubic foot (scf) and per mmBtu of heat on a higher heating value basis. The per scf figure assumes the Hub's default heat content for pipeline gas; if your utility states a different heat content, the per mmBtu figure applied to the therms or mmBtu on your bill is the more exact route.
Two mistakes come up again and again. First, US gallons are smaller than imperial gallons (3.785 litres against 4.546), so a UK team must not apply these per gallon figures to imperial gallons, or the other way round. Second, these factors cover combustion only. The Hub has no well-to-tank figure for the emissions from extracting, refining and delivering the fuel; if you report those under Scope 3 Category 3, you need a separate source.
UK companies with sites, staff or shipments in the US can use these figures for that activity, and the UK government factors for activity in the UK (see the UK government factor for the same activity). Say in your methodology which set you used for which activity. In Carbon Recycling, every line keeps the factor and source it was worked out with.
Where to find your scf figure
Your gas utility bill. US bills show gas in therms, in ccf (hundreds of cubic feet) or in Mcf (thousands of cubic feet). For ccf multiply by 100 and for Mcf by 1,000 to get cubic feet, then use the per scf figure; for therms use the per therm figure below, since one therm is exactly 0.1 mmBtu.
Who publishes the 2026 figures
The GHG Emission Factors Hub was published by the US EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership every year up to the January 2025 edition, as a US government work in the public domain. The 2026 edition, last updated 26 May 2026, was published by the Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, not by EPA, under a CC BY 4.0 licence (doi:10.5281/zenodo.20403776). It keeps EPA's table layout and its footnotes cite the same sources, such as 40 CFR Part 98 and EPA's Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. EPA has not endorsed it.
Related emission factors
- Distillate fuel oil No. 2 (diesel, heating oil): 10.24 kg CO2e per gallon
- Propane: 5.741 kg CO2e per gallon
- Motor gasoline: 8.812 kg CO2e per gallon
- All US fuel, vehicle, travel and freight factors
- US electricity factors by eGRID subregion
- United States grid electricity average (every year since 2000)
- All emission factors