Scope 2 Data to Claims Bundle

Go from messy utility bills to a clean Scope 2 dataset—and make renewable claims that are defensible and understandable.

Carbon BasicsBundleBundle2–4 hours to 2–4 weeks
Disclaimer: Educational only. Public-facing claims should be reviewed internally (legal/compliance). Evidence and methodology matter.

Outcome

By the end of this bundle you will:

  • Build a clean Scope 2 electricity dataset (kWh + periods + evidence)
  • Understand and document location-based vs market-based reporting
  • Calculate Scope 2 emissions using your selected emission factors
  • Calculate renewable matching coverage and produce safe claim language
  • Establish a repeatable monthly workflow that fits into Carbon Close

Who this is for

  • •Sustainability teams — responsible for Scope 2 reporting and claims
  • •Ops/facilities and AP teams — who control the underlying utility data flow
  • •Leaders — who want reporting credibility without chaos

Time to implement

2–4 hours

One site end-to-end (data → QA → emissions → coverage → claim language)

2–4 weeks

Portfolio rollout to high-priority sites + governance routine

What you'll need

Minimum:

  • •Utility bills or usage exports that include billing period start/end dates and kWh consumed
  • •A place to store evidence links (bills, exports)

Recommended:

  • •Emission factors you plan to use:
    • • location-based factor (kgCO2e/kWh)
    • • market-based factor (kgCO2e/kWh) if applicable
  • •Renewable instrument inventory (kWh) if making claims
  • •A boundary statement: which sites are included and why

Step-by-step sequence

1Secure utility access + evidence storage (do not skip)

If you can't access bills reliably, reporting will break later.

Minimum standard:

  • • primary owner + backup owner for portal access
  • • stable folder structure for evidence
  • • repeatable monthly pull process

2Build the Scope 2 dataset (minimum viable)

Create a simple table with one row per bill/period:

  • • site identifier
  • • utility provider + account #
  • • billing period start/end
  • • kWh
  • • evidence link

Beginner rule: "No evidence link = not trusted."

3Run QA checks before any calculations

QA must catch:

  • • missing months
  • • overlapping periods
  • • duplicate entries
  • • negative or impossible values
  • • broken evidence links

If QA fails: fix the data or label as proxy/estimate with documented limitation.

4Calculate Scope 2 emissions (location-based first)

Use the Scope 2 Emissions Calculator:

  • • enter kWh and location-based factor
  • • compute tCO2e
  • • document the factor source and year (in your internal method note)
Open Scope 2 Emissions Calculator

5Add market-based reporting (if applicable)

If you use market-based:

  • • enter the market-based factor (or method output)
  • • compute market-based emissions and compare to location-based

Document:

  • • boundary
  • • method
  • • instruments/program assumptions (if any)

6Calculate renewable matching coverage (if making claims)

Use the Renewable Matching Coverage Calculator:

  • • consumption kWh for the same scope/period
  • • renewable instrument kWh for the same scope/period
  • • compute coverage %
  • • generate safe claim language

Beginner rule: Never claim 100% coverage unless you can prove 100% coverage for the stated boundary and period.

Open Renewable Matching Coverage Calculator

7Produce a "claim packet" (evidence + language + limitations)

For any public-facing statement, assemble:

  • • consumption dataset link (evidence-backed)
  • • instrument inventory link (evidence-backed)
  • • method note (location vs market, boundaries)
  • • approved claim language
  • • known limitations/disclosures

8Lock it into monthly governance (Carbon Close)

Adopt a cadence:

  • • monthly data ingestion + QA
  • • anomaly review
  • • sign-off
  • • change log for restatements

Included assets

Tools (do the math now)

Scope 2 Emissions CalculatorRenewable Matching Coverage CalculatorBlended Electricity Rate and Demand Share Calculator(optional, for cost context)

Core resources (how-to)

Scope 2 Utility Data Pipeline Starter KitScope 2 Location vs Market BasedRenewable Electricity Procurement Claims (Plain English)Utility Account Access and Inventory PlaybookCarbon Close PlaybookData QA and Anomaly Detection Playbook

Templates (copy/paste)

  • • Scope 2 dataset minimum spec
  • • Emission factor and method note
  • • Claim evidence checklist
  • • Safe claim language (starter library)

↓ See templates section below

Templates (copy/paste)

1) Scope 2 Dataset Minimum Spec

SiteUtility providerAccount #Period startPeriod endkWhEvidence linkData quality (Measured/Proxy)Notes
—————————

Beginner notes:

  • • "Measured" means you have a bill/export with dates and kWh.
  • • "Proxy" means you used an estimate—document why and plan to replace.

2) Emission Factor and Method Note (internal)

Scope 2 Method Note (Internal)

Reporting period:
Boundary:
- Sites included:
- Sites excluded:

Location-based method:
- Emission factor (kgCO2e/kWh):
- Factor geography:
- Factor year:
- Source link (internal reference):

Market-based method (if applicable):
- Market factor (kgCO2e/kWh) or method output:
- Instrument/program basis:
- Evidence location:
- Limitations:

QA performed:
- missing months checked
- overlaps checked
- duplicates checked
- evidence links validated

Prepared by:
Reviewed by:
Date:

3) Claim Evidence Checklist

Claim Evidence Checklist (Scope 2)

Consumption evidence
- Consumption dataset exists and is evidence-linked
- Billing periods documented and aligned to reporting period
- QA completed (no overlaps/duplicates; missing months explained)

Instrument evidence (if claiming)
- Instrument inventory exists and is evidence-linked
- Quantity and vintage documented
- Period alignment documented (matches year or disclosed limitation)
- Boundary documented (which sites included)

Language + approvals
- Claim language matches coverage reality (no over-claiming)
- Known limitations disclosed
- Approval process completed for public-facing statements

4) Safe Claim Language (starter library)

If coverage is under 100%

For reporting period [YEAR], we purchased renewable electricity instruments equivalent to approximately [X%] of our electricity consumption for the covered scope. We maintain evidence for consumption and instruments and disclose known limitations.

If coverage is 100% or more (only when defensible)

For reporting period [YEAR], we matched 100% of our electricity consumption for the covered scope with documented renewable electricity instruments. We maintain evidence for consumption and instruments and disclose known limitations.

If only a subset is covered

For reporting period [YEAR], for [SUBSET OF SITES/REGION], we matched approximately [X%] of electricity consumption with renewable instruments. Remaining consumption is reported using our standard methodology and disclosed limitations.

Proof and KPIs

  • •% sites with current-month utility evidence
  • •% records with valid evidence links
  • •# overlaps/duplicates found per month (should trend down)
  • •renewable coverage % (for defined scope and period)
  • •# restatements/change-log entries per quarter (should trend down)

Common pitfalls

  • •Making portfolio-wide claims when only a subset is covered
  • •Using emission factors that don't match geography/year
  • •Mismatched periods between consumption and instruments
  • •"Market-based" numbers without instrument evidence and boundary clarity
  • •No QA step → spikes and errors show up late

Next bundles to run

Carbon Close Bundle

Monthly governance + audit readiness

Coming soon

Tenant Utility Data Bundle

If leased assets/tenant utilities are a major gap

Coming soon

Change log

v1.0 (2026-01): Latest release