> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.besmarthead.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.besmarthead.com/ghg-emissions-co2-calculator/emission-factors.md).

# Find the right emission factor

Pick a defensible emission factor in seconds – curated suggestions for your country and year, a searchable database of thousands of factors, or your supplier's own number.

An emission factor turns what you consumed into emissions. The hard part used to be finding one you can defend to an auditor. SmartHead gives you three ways, from fastest to most specific: a suggestion, a database search, or your own custom factor.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Saves you time:** the **Suggested emission factors** block already knows your country and reporting year. For a Slovak company reporting 2026, the electricity row suggests the Slovak grid factor for that year – click **Add** and move on.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**What an emission factor is:** kg CO₂e per one unit of activity – per litre of diesel, per kWh of electricity, per euro spent. SmartHead multiplies it by your quantity and shows the result in t CO₂eq. See [Glossary](/help/glossary.md#emission-factor).
{% endhint %}

## Where to find it

Open the row calculator (the calculator icon on a GHG row) › **Emission factors** tab. The suggestions sit under the factors list; **+ Add emission factor** opens the search.

![Emission factors tab with the Suggested emission factors · Slovakia 2026 block](https://2593582272-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxT5TFLiwBWeM9d0fDydH%2Fuploads%2F5AUeTz0HFf48i2wPw3jv%2Fghg-2.png?alt=media)

## 1. Suggested emission factors

The block **Suggested emission factors · Slovakia 2026** (your country and reporting year) lists curated factors for the row you are in: fuels from BEIS (the UK government factors), gases from the GHG Protocol and IPCC, the grid mix and residual mix from AIB, spend-based factors for Scope 3. The suggestions depend on:

* **the row** – a refrigerants row suggests R-410A, R-32 and friends; an electricity row the grid of your country;
* **your profile country** – country-specific electricity, heat, hotel nights and spend factors for Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Austria;
* **the reporting year** – the factor edition that matches your year.

Each line shows the database badge, the name, the value and unit, and **Add**. Grouped suggestions (ESRS and Revised ESRS) open with the most common ones; **Show all suggestions (n)** lists the rest, **Show fewer suggestions** folds them back. A suggestion already in the row is hidden.

**Year warnings.** A small hint icon next to a suggestion means the data year does not match: "The latest data are from 2024, older than the reporting year 2026" or "There are no data for 2026 or earlier, data from 2027 are used". Keep the factor if you accept it, or search for another one.

Some suggestions are **Your own value** – for example a supplier-specific electricity factor or a green-tariff contract. **Add** opens the custom factor form prefilled; you enter the number from your contract.

{% hint style="warning" %}
TO CHECK: profiles outside the six countries – do they see the general suggestions (fuels, gases, flights) without the country-specific ones, or no suggestions block at all (Q503)?
{% endhint %}

## 2. Search the emission factor database

**+ Add emission factor** opens **Search for emission factor** with two tabs. On **Emission factor database**:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Type a keyword

"diesel", "natural gas", "flight", "hotel". The result count appears: "1 234 results found".
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Narrow it down

The scope switch **Filtering by Scope 1** is already on for the row's scope – turn it off to see every scope. Dropdowns for year, region and unit type; multi-selects for category, dataset and sector. **Filter by profile country and year** sets region and year to yours in one click; **Clear all filters** starts over. Your last filters are remembered for the next search.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Open the details

Click a result to expand it: description, **Activity ID**, **Source**, **Source dataset**, **Year**, **Year released**, **Unit type**, **LCA activity**, **CO2 calculation method**, **Scopes**. This is what your auditor will ask for.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Add selected

Tick one or more results and click **Add selected**. Each becomes a factor in the row with one empty source. When you replace a factor (**Change emission factor**), you pick a single one and confirm with **Select**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

![Search for emission factor with the database tab, filters and an expanded result](https://2593582272-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxT5TFLiwBWeM9d0fDydH%2Fuploads%2F7zxE9VUe2JN7Lhj15Hgx%2Fghg-3.png?alt=media)

## 3. Your own (custom) emission factor

Use the **Custom emission factors** tab when your supplier gives you a number – a district heating factor, a green tariff, a refrigerant blend the database does not have. One line per factor:

| Field                         | Example                                  |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Item description**          | District heat – Bratislava supplier 2026 |
| **Emission factor**           | 0.000122 (in t CO₂e per unit)            |
| **Unit**                      | kWh                                      |
| **Source of emission factor** | Supplier certificate, 12 Jan 2026        |

**+ Add another custom emission factor** adds a line; **Add selected** creates them. Custom factors carry the **Custom** tag in the row and in Excel, so everyone sees where the number came from.

## Tips

* **Write the factor value in t CO₂e per unit**, not kg: 0.122 kg/kWh is 0.000122 t/kWh. The suggestions block shows values in kg for readability – read the unit before you copy.
* **One factor per fuel, not per vehicle.** Name it "Diesel car", "Petrol van", "Electricity SK 2026" and assign it to every source that applies.
* **Spend-based factors** (per euro, per dollar) are the fallback when you have invoices but no quantities – typical for Scope 3 categories 1 and 2.

## Good to know

* **Database updates:** publishers release new factor editions every year. A factor you added keeps its year – SmartHead never swaps it silently. Review the suggestions each new reporting year.
* **The year of a factor** is an edition for some publishers (BEIS 2026 = published 2026) and a data year for others (AIB 2024 = 2024 grid). The year warnings take care of that for suggestions; for your own search, read the detail.
* **Who:** administrators, and reporters with a request on the data point. Viewers see the factors, not the search.

## Related

{% content-ref url="/pages/ZXRawxQhAaunEfuoqtEr" %}
[Calculate a row: emission factors and sources](/ghg-emissions-co2-calculator/calculator-drawer.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/xtNInE9ddj8xIwHtDCp6" %}
[Fleet and site lists via Excel](/ghg-emissions-co2-calculator/excel.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/uXDCJuk26EG12pjW9PbV" %}
[GHG emissions in SmartHead: which calculator to use](/ghg-emissions-co2-calculator/ghg.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/u5LKb0LiYWK0lRLaKjbX" %}
[Glossary](/help/glossary.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}