Is there a free way to do carbon reporting?

Yes. The government publishes the conversion factors and a Carbon Reduction Plan template for free, and the GHG Protocol standards are free to download. Doing it yourself costs only staff time, which is the main cost whichever route you take.

How much does a Carbon Reduction Plan cost?

Nothing if you write it yourself. One-off plan tools charge about £199 to £299 a plan, consultants from about £895, and SME software from about £24 a month. Carbon Recycling's Starter plan is £59 a month with unlimited plans and reports.

Does carbon reporting need to be audited?

Not for SECR, PPN 006 or most customer requests, so there is usually no verification cost. Independent verification, for example to ISO 14064-3, is optional and priced by quote. SBTi target validation has its own published fee.

What does an ESOS assessment cost?

ESOS is a different exercise: an energy audit by a lead assessor for large undertakings, priced by the assessor based on your sites and energy use. Carbon software doesn't replace it, but clean energy data makes the audit quicker.

Is carbon reporting software tax deductible?

Software subscriptions are normally an allowable business expense for UK tax. Check your own position with your accountant.

How much does carbon reporting cost a UK business?

For a UK SME, carbon reporting costs anything from nothing but staff time (doing it yourself with the free government factors and template) to about £199 to £299 for a one-off plan tool, about £24 to £260 a month for SME software, or from about £895 to several thousand pounds for a consultant. Carbon Recycling costs £59, £149 or £399 a month.

Updated 3 October 2026 by the Carbon Recycling team. Figures use the official UK government conversion factors and are checked against the current gov.uk guidance.

What you are actually paying for

Every route involves the same work. What changes is who does it:

Collecting data: a year of energy bills, fuel cards, mileage claims, travel bookings, a commuting survey and waste reports. This is the biggest job, and nobody can do it entirely for you.
Calculating: applying the right government conversion factors to each line, sorting it into scopes and Scope 3 categories, and checking it.
Writing up: a Carbon Reduction Plan, an SECR disclosure, or answers to a customer questionnaire.
Repeating it every year, with that year's factors, and comparing with your baseline.

The options compared

Route	Typical cost	Good for	Watch out for
Do it yourself in a spreadsheet	Staff time only	A simple business with few sources and someone comfortable with spreadsheets	Wrong or mixed factor years, missed categories, and rebuilding it every year
One-off plan tool	About £199 to £299 a plan	A single Carbon Reduction Plan for one tender	Paying again each year when the plan must be updated
SME software	About £24 to £260 a month	Businesses that report every year or answer several customers	Per-report fees, user limits and which factor year the tool uses
Consultant	From about £895, often several thousand	No time in-house, complex operations, or a need for advice on strategy	Paying the same again next year, and not owning the working
Enterprise platform	Quote only	Large groups with global operations and many frameworks	Long contracts and features an SME won't use

Price ranges come from providers' published prices, last checked on 3 October 2026. Our comparison of UK carbon reporting software names each provider and its price.

The cost of your own time

Whatever you choose, someone in the business gathers the data. If your bills, fuel card statements and mileage claims are organised, that is a few days in the first year and less after that. A commuting survey takes a couple of weeks to come back. The calculation itself takes an afternoon with software, or a day or two in a spreadsheet if you know the method. Our step-by-step guide shows what is involved, and our free kWh to CO2e calculator and Carbon Reduction Plan template cover the simplest cases at no cost.

Costs people forget

Every year, not once. A PPN 006 plan must be updated within six months of each financial year end, and the factors change every June.
Scope creep. From 1 April 2027, larger NHS contracts need plans covering global operations and all relevant Scope 3. Check what your buyers will ask for next, not just now.
Per-report and per-user fees in some software.
Optional extras: independent verification, SBTi validation, or carbon credits. None is required for PPN 006 or SECR.

What Carbon Recycling costs

Plan	Per month	For
Starter	£59	For a single business getting its first footprint and CRP in place. Up to 3 users and 2 sites.
Growth	£149	For multi-site businesses and anyone chasing supplier data. Up to 10 users and 10 sites.
Enterprise	£399	For groups with several companies, many sites or lots of data. Never more than £999 a month, however many companies.

Every plan includes unlimited SECR reports and Carbon Reduction Plans, with no set-up fee and no per-report charge. Billing is monthly with no contract, and there is a 14-day free trial with no card needed. An optional expert review of your Carbon Reduction Plan before you submit it is £395, one off. Full details are on our pricing page.

Which route makes sense

One plan for one tender, simple business: our free template, or a one-off tool.
Annual plans, SECR, or several customers asking: software, so each year builds on the last.
No one in-house to collect data, or you need strategic advice: a consultant, ideally one who leaves you the working.

Not sure whether you need SECR as well? Our SECR checker tells you in under a minute.