Barratt Eco Calculator

Question 0 of 0

Globally, we consume around 350 million tonnes of meat a year!1

Going veggie or vegan is a big step, but many people have found that by reducing meat– red meat in particular – they can reduce their environmental impact and feel better and healthier for it.

Ideas such as ‘Meat Free Monday’ and ‘Veganuary’ are growing in popularity and can be a good way to try some exciting new vegetable-based recipes.

Please select from the below which best describes your meals in a typical week

(assuming 3 meals per day)

Globally, we consume around 350 million tonnes of meat a year!1

Going veggie or vegan is a big step, but many people have found that by reducing meat– red meat in particular – they can reduce their environmental impact and feel better and healthier for it.

Ideas such as ‘Meat Free Monday’ and ‘Veganuary’ are growing in popularity and can be a good way to try some exciting new vegetable-based recipes.

From the field to your fork

Today’s food industry is so developed that we can be disconnected from what we eat. The convenience culture, ease of delivery and ready-to-eat options are very tempting, but some convenience foods and takeaway items can create large amounts of plastic and packaging waste and additional associated transport emissions.

You may choose to buy locally grown food, and at the same time support your local businesses and greengrocers, farmers’ markets or community-supported farming programmes. Buying locally reduces food miles and associated transport emissions and, can often be healthier too!

What type of food do you eat?

From the field to your fork

Today’s food industry is so developed that we can be disconnected from what we eat. The convenience culture, ease of delivery and ready-to-eat options are very tempting, but some convenience foods and takeaway items can create large amounts of plastic and packaging waste and additional associated transport emissions.

You may choose to buy locally grown food, and at the same time support your local businesses and greengrocers, farmers’ markets or community-supported farming programmes. Buying locally reduces food miles and associated transport emissions and, can often be healthier too!

Check out our new electric vehicle car policy!

Barratt is taking a leadership position and aiming to remove diesel cars as a company car choice by 2023 and petrol cars by 2026. Now could be the right time to go electric.

Fuel costs can be less than a third 2 that of a petrol or diesel equivalent, and they are less harmful to air quality and produce less carbon emissions.

What kind of vehicle do you travel in most frequently?

Check out our new electric vehicle car policy!

Barratt is taking a leadership position and aiming to remove diesel cars as a company car choice by 2023 and petrol cars by 2026. Now could be the right time to go electric.

Fuel costs can be less than a third 2 that of a petrol or diesel equivalent, and they are less harmful to air quality and produce less carbon emissions.

Travel can represent a significant part of people’s footprint

Can you cut down on how far you drive? As part of My Barratt Benefits we offer a cycle to work scheme that can help you save at least 32% on the cost of a new bike and you can spread the cost of the bike over 12 months.

How far do you drive in a typical week?

(Include personal travel and commuting but not journeys for which you claimed mileage)

Travel can represent a significant part of people’s footprint

Can you cut down on how far you drive? As part of My Barratt Benefits we offer a cycle to work scheme that can help you save at least 32% on the cost of a new bike and you can spread the cost of the bike over 12 months.

Swapping out the car

Swapping the car for other forms of public transport means less cars are on the road and therefore reduced emissions and improved air quality.

You could take advantage of park and ride schemes if you are heading into the city or take in the scenery from a train journey rather than in a motorway traffic jam.

How far do you travel by public transport in a typical week?

(Include personal travel and commuting but not journeys for which you claimed mileage)

Swapping out the car

Swapping the car for other forms of public transport means less cars are on the road and therefore reduced emissions and improved air quality.

You could take advantage of park and ride schemes if you are heading into the city or take in the scenery from a train journey rather than in a motorway traffic jam.

Have you considered offsetting your flights?

If you are going away and can’t avoid flying, you can offset the carbon emissions from your flight – and the great news is it’s much easier and cheaper than you think.

To offset this amount could cost around just £30 and save a comparable amount of carbon to an average home each year. 3

How many hours did you spend on an aeroplane in the last year?

(Include personal travel and commuting but not journeys for which you claimed mileage)

Have you considered offsetting your flights?

If you are going away and can’t avoid flying, you can offset the carbon emissions from your flight – and the great news is it’s much easier and cheaper than you think.

To offset this amount could cost around just £30 and save a comparable amount of carbon to an average home each year. 3

Household size

Did you know? The energy we use in the home accounts for around 20% of the carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Energy use is split between the number of people we live with. We ask this question to calculate your personal footprint.

How big is your household?

(Age doesn't matter)

Household size

Did you know? The energy we use in the home accounts for around 20% of the carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Energy use is split between the number of people we live with. We ask this question to calculate your personal footprint.

You can save on gas bills too!

Did you know? By turning down your central heating thermostat by just 1°C you could reduce the energy you use for heating by 10% and save money on your bills. You can install better insulation, upgrade gas appliances to the most efficient models or install a smart thermostat to track use and give you better control over your gas central heating.

On average, how much gas do you use each month?

(If you have actual readings that's great but otherwise use the average home examples to help.)

You can save on gas bills too!

Did you know? By turning down your central heating thermostat by just 1°C you could reduce the energy you use for heating by 10% and save money on your bills. You can install better insulation, upgrade gas appliances to the most efficient models or install a smart thermostat to track use and give you better control over your gas central heating.

You can save on your oil bills too

Did you know? Replacing heating systems that are more than 20 years old can cut heating costs by 15-25%. Talk to your heating fuel supplier about installing a programmable thermostat; it will pay for itself through lower energy costs in about a year.

On average, how much heating oil (kerosene, or burning oil) do you use in a year?

You can save on your oil bills too

Did you know? Replacing heating systems that are more than 20 years old can cut heating costs by 15-25%. Talk to your heating fuel supplier about installing a programmable thermostat; it will pay for itself through lower energy costs in about a year.

Save energy and reduce your bills!

Did you know? Lighting can account for up to 15% of your household electricity bill, so you can cut down just by turning off lights when they’re not needed or install LED lightbulbs and switch unused devices off at the plug.

On average, how much electricity do you use each month?

(If you have actual readings that's great but otherwise use the average home examples to help.)

Save energy and reduce your bills!

Did you know? Lighting can account for up to 15% of your household electricity bill, so you can cut down just by turning off lights when they’re not needed or install LED lightbulbs and switch unused devices off at the plug.

Barratt has teamed up with the Big Clean Switch which could save you £270 a year!

Did you know that switching to a green tariff is one of the simplest ways to cut your carbon footprint - and could save you money, too?

That’s why Barratt has teamed up with experts Big Clean Switch to help colleagues switch easily to low cost 100% green tariffs.

Find out more on OurPlace!

What type of electricity do you buy?

Barratt has teamed up with the Big Clean Switch which could save you £270 a year!

Did you know that switching to a green tariff is one of the simplest ways to cut your carbon footprint - and could save you money, too?

That’s why Barratt has teamed up with experts Big Clean Switch to help colleagues switch easily to low cost 100% green tariffs.

Find out more on OurPlace!

Can you slow down on fast fashion?

The fashion industry worldwide creates the same emissions globally as all the UK’s, France’s and Germany’s carbon emissions put together. Cotton production also has a dramatic impact on water quality and availability- it takes 20,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans.4

Set the trend with shopping second hand, upcycle or swap with friends! Check out the online Oxfam shop for some great second hand deals!

How much do you spend each month on clothing and footwear?

(Include jewellery and bags)

Can you slow down on fast fashion?

The fashion industry worldwide creates the same emissions globally as all the UK’s, France’s and Germany’s carbon emissions put together. Cotton production also has a dramatic impact on water quality and availability- it takes 20,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans.4

Set the trend with shopping second hand, upcycle or swap with friends! Check out the online Oxfam shop for some great second hand deals!

The amount you spend on household goods makes a difference

The production process for new household appliances require huge amounts of energy and resources. Many also end up in the dump well before their time.

Try reusing old household goods or try a repair café to get something fixed - you could even learn new skills while you are at it!

How much do you spend each month on household goods?

(Include furnishings, appliances, DIY and homeware)

The amount you spend on household goods makes a difference

The production process for new household appliances require huge amounts of energy and resources. Many also end up in the dump well before their time.

Try reusing old household goods or try a repair café to get something fixed - you could even learn new skills while you are at it!

Communications and cosmetics

Cars, factories and even cows quickly get the blame for growing emissions but products like your mobile phones and cosmetics are fast-growing offenders.

Using your smartphone for just one hour a day per year produces more carbon emissions than two round-trip flights between London and Glasgow5 and more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry.6

Have you considered looking for eco-friendly alternatives?

How much do you typically spend each month on communications and personal care?

(Include phone, internet, cosmetics, beauty treatments and toiletries)

Communications and cosmetics

Cars, factories and even cows quickly get the blame for growing emissions but products like your mobile phones and cosmetics are fast-growing offenders.

Using your smartphone for just one hour a day per year produces more carbon emissions than two round-trip flights between London and Glasgow5 and more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry.6

Have you considered looking for eco-friendly alternatives?

The footprint of your hobbies

You may have seen lots of friends and family developing new hobbies during the lockdown period- why not pick up a new hobby which is fun and helps the environment!

Have you considered beekeeping, becoming more green-fingered in the garden, creating upcycling projects or even brewing your own beer?

How much do you typically spend each month on recreation, leisure and cultural activities?

(Include hobbies, books and magazines, sporting and cultural events - but exclude hotels, holidays, food and eating out)

The footprint of your hobbies

You may have seen lots of friends and family developing new hobbies during the lockdown period- why not pick up a new hobby which is fun and helps the environment!

Have you considered beekeeping, becoming more green-fingered in the garden, creating upcycling projects or even brewing your own beer?

Every purchase counts

Buying recycled is not just about reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill, but also reducing the amount of extracted materials and energy use.

Head down to your local charity or antique shop or take a browse on online marketplaces.

What percentage of reused/recycled goods do you try to purchase?

Every purchase counts

Buying recycled is not just about reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill, but also reducing the amount of extracted materials and energy use.

Head down to your local charity or antique shop or take a browse on online marketplaces.

Close the loop with recycling

A report released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) earlier this year, revealed that British households create over 26m tonnes of waste each year7, the weight of around 70 Empire State Buildings!8

If food waste is dumped in landfill it turns into methane, which is a big contributor to climate change. Reducing household waste can help save local authorities money for other vital public services.

How much of your household waste do you recycle?

Close the loop with recycling

A report released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) earlier this year, revealed that British households create over 26m tonnes of waste each year7, the weight of around 70 Empire State Buildings!8

If food waste is dumped in landfill it turns into methane, which is a big contributor to climate change. Reducing household waste can help save local authorities money for other vital public services.

Giving nature a home

There’s always room to bring nature into your space at home, no matter how big or small that may be…

That’s why we’ve partnered with the RSPB to create a guide that shows how you can turn your balcony and garden into a sanctuary for wildlife!

Why not give it a try for yourself or with the kids – it’s very good fun!

It is important to note that while this question does not influence your carbon footprint, it does impact your ecological footprint which means the amount of land needed to sustain your current lifestyle.

What do you do to support wildlife in your garden?

(select all that apply or leave blank if not applicable)

Giving nature a home

There’s always room to bring nature into your space at home, no matter how big or small that may be…

That’s why we’ve partnered with the RSPB to create a guide that shows how you can turn your balcony and garden into a sanctuary for wildlife!

Why not give it a try for yourself or with the kids – it’s very good fun!

It is important to note that while this question does not influence your carbon footprint, it does impact your ecological footprint which means the amount of land needed to sustain your current lifestyle.

Your carbon footprint...

The UK has a net zero carbon by 2050 target. The target shown below is what each person needs to be achieving now for this to stay on track.

Footprint by category...

Click / tap on a segment to get top tips!

0 CO2 tonnes
Food: 0
Travel: 0
Home: 0
Consumption: 0
Public Services: 0

Footprint Facts...

If everyone had the same footprint as you currently do, we would need:
0 Earths to support those lifestyles, we estimate that one year of your activity caused 0 Metric Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide to be released into the atmosphere, equivalent to running a laptop computer continuously for 0 years

0 earths
0 tonnes
0 years

Footprint GHA per capita...

Your environmental footprint measured in Global Hectares per capita / person is 0 GHA, the available bio-capacity of our planet is 0 GHA

Global Hectares per person (GHA)

Home: Top Tips

X

Barratt has teamed up with the Big Clean Switch which could save you up to £270 a year!

Did you know that switching to a green tariff is one of the simplest ways to cut your carbon footprint - and could save you money, too? That’s why Barratt has teamed up with experts Big Clean Switch to help colleagues switch easily to low cost green tariffs.

Find out more on OurPlace!

By making your home more efficient (i.e. finding ways to waste less energy) you can also reduce your carbon footprint.

Here are some tips to reduce your footprint in your home:

  • You can cut down just by turning off lights when they’re not needed, install LED lightbulbs and switch unused devices off at the plug.
  • By turning down your central heating thermostat by just 1°C you could reduce the energy you use for heating by 10% and save money on your bills. You could also install a smart thermostat to track use and give you better control over your gas central heating.
  • Replacing heating systems that are more than 20 years old can cut heating costs by 15-25%.

Travel: Top Tips

X

Changing your travel habits

Barratt is taking a leadership position and aiming to remove diesel cars as a company car choice by 2023 and petrol cars by 2026. Now could be the right time to go electric.

Can you cut down on how far you drive? As part of My Barratt Benefits we offer a cycle to work scheme that can help you save at least 32% on the cost of a new bike and you can spread the cost of the bike over 12 months.

If you are going away and can’t avoid flying, you can offset the carbon emissions from your flight– and the great news is it’s much easier and cheaper than you think. Using a transparent and recognised certified carbon offset tool, it would cost around £30 to offset a family return flight to Turkey, saving 3.81 tonnes of carbon. That’s equivalent to the CO2 emissions from powering an average home over a whole year, for about the price of a family lunch out. There are many providers out there, just search ‘carbon offset’ on the internet to find one that’s right for you.

Food: Top Tips

X

Can you make any changes to the food you eat?

Going veggie or vegan is a big step, but many people have found that by reducing meat– red meat in particular – they can reduce their environmental impact and feel better and healthier for it!

Ideas such as ‘Meat Free Monday’ and ‘Veganuary’ are growing in popularity and can be a good way to try some exciting new vegetable-based recipes.

You could choose to buy locally grown food, and at the same time support your local businesses and greengrocers, farmers’ markets or community-supported farming programmes. Buying locally reduces food miles and associated transport emissions and, can often be healthier too!

Consumption: Top Tips

X

Every purchase counts!

Every item we buy has its own footprint for carbon, energy and water so our consumption choices make a huge impact on the environment. Therefore, buying recycled is not just about reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill, but also reducing the amount of extracted materials and energy use.

Set the trend with shopping second hand, upcycle or swap with friends! Check out the online Oxfam shop for some great second hand deals. You could also head down to your local charity or antique shop or take a browse on online marketplaces.

Try reusing old household goods (so long as they are reasonably efficient) or try a repair café to get something fixed- you could even learn new skills while you are at it!

You may have seen lots of friends and family developing new hobbies during the lockdown period- why not pick up a new hobby which is fun and helps the environment!

Public Services

X

There are lots of indirect impacts on your footprint that are out of your immediate control

Though our calculator gives you an individual footprint score, your overall footprint also depends on the country we live in and the policies of the local and national government.

In the UK, the government’s spend on roads and construction, education, defence, health, and other expenses involved in running the country all impact your own footprint and our joint impact on the planet.

While your individual consumption habits can’t directly change the government footprint, this is where using your voice can make all the difference! There are many ways you can get involved to shape decision making, at the local or national level, to reduce environmental impacts for future generations. For example, lobby for policies to increase renewable electricity purchase for the grid or lobby your local council to improve their waste collection and recycling rates. Enter your postcode to contact your local MP here.

About the Calculator

Methodology

Feedback from colleagues has indicated that there is an ongoing interest in sustainability and questions about what practical actions we can take to make a difference. In response to this, the corporate sustainability team have developed what we hope will be a fun yet educational calculator that allows colleagues to assess their personal carbon and ecological footprint. Our aim is to inspire and educate colleagues about sustainability, whilst giving simple, practical ideas to reduce your footprint.

To be fully transparent, it is important to state that if you were to use one of the publically available footprint calculators, you would likely get slightly different results from each calculator you use. With the Barratt Eco Calculator, we have worked with internal colleagues and external experts to develop questions that focus on areas that have the most impact on your personal footprint. We have improved the methodology where possible to ask questions that help to refine the results as much as possible.

A great way to track improvements is to use the calculator each time you make changes!

Please find a summarised methodology below. The full version can be downloaded here which includes further details and all data sources.

Food

  1. Please select from the below which best describes your meals in a typical week (assuming 3 meals per day)
    For this question, we have used data from Oxford University. To calculate the emission, we have used the Oxford University figures along with NHS recommended daily protein intake. We have grouped the options into five meal types (vegan, vegetarian, white meat and red meat) to allow us to calculate the environmental impact of an individual’s meal choices.
  2. What type of food do you usually eat?
    Using a study undertaken by global sustainability consultancy Anthesis for Tesco, we have calculated the amount of carbon that is attributable to packaging and transport of food. This question considers the whole supply chain impact of food including: transport; packaging; processing and retail. Farming practices have not been considered for this question due to the significant complexity involved but this this something we hope to bring into the next phase of the calculator.

Travel

  1. What kind of vehicle do you travel in most frequently?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data to obtain the corresponding carbon emissions for each vehicle type. We chose to group the vehicle bands in this way to represent the most commonly used vehicle types.
  2. How far do you drive in a typical week?
    To calculate this question, we have annualised the response and used the response from Question 3 (vehicle type) to calculate the associated carbon emissions.
  3. How far do you travel by public transport in a typical week?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data to obtain the average carbon emission value for the average of bus and train travel. We have annualised the response given to the question to calculate the yearly emissions.
  4. How many hours did you spend on an aeroplane in the last year?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data to obtain the carbon emissions value for air travel. The approach taken is to calculate the impact of each hour of air travel based on average air speeds, as this gives a better picture of the footprint.

Home

  1. How big is your household?
    The response to this question is used as a denominator in all the home energy calculations. For example, if the responder lives with one other person then they are only responsible for half the energy use. Age is therefore not a factor, though of course it is recognised that dependents will have footprints similar to that of the decision making adult in their household.
  2. On average, how much gas do you use each month?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data on consumption (kWh) and costs for gas use for a representative range of housetypes.
  3. On average, how much heating oil (kerosene, or burning oil) do you use in a year?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data on consumption (litres) and costs for oil use.
  4. On average, how much electricity do you use each month?
    For this question, we have used approved UK Government data on consumption (kWh) and costs for electricity use for a representative range of housetypes.
  5. What type of electricity do you buy?
    This question uses multipliers which are applied to the result of Question 10 for how much electricity the respondent uses each year.

Consumption

  1. How much do you spend each month on clothing and footwear? (Including jewellery and bags)
    The same method is used for calculating Questions 12-15. The amount of items we buy has a large impact on the environment. All products are dependent on materials, production and transport. The simplest way to estimate this is through the value spent per category. Based on a previous study undertaken by global sustainability consultancy Anthesis, we calculated this question using four expenditure categories (clothing, personal care, household and leisure) using economic input-output analysis. We chose these categories to represent the most common areas of purchased goods.
  2. How much do you spend each month on household goods? (Including furnishings, appliances, DIY and homeware)
    See Q12
  3. How much do you typically spend each month on communications and personal care? (including phone, internet, cosmetics, beauty treatments and toiletries)
    See Q12
  4. How much do you typically spend each month on recreation, leisure and cultural activities? (including hobbies, books and magazines, sporting and cultural events - but exclude hotels, holidays, food and eating out)
    See Q12
  5. What percentage of reused/recycled goods do you try purchase?
    To calculate this question we applied a series of multipliers to the results of the clothing and household goods consumption questions only. This is because reused and recycled alternatives for communications, personal care and leisure spending are not readily available.
  6. Do you recycle your household waste?
    Similar to the previous question, we applied a series of multipliers to the results of the clothing and household goods consumption questions only. This is because reused and recycled alternatives for communications, personal care and leisure spending are not readily available.
  7. What do you do to support wildlife in your garden? (select all that apply)
    It is important to note that while this question does not influence the carbon footprint, it does impact the ecological footprint which means the amount of land needed if everyone had the same footprint as you currently do. Given the importance of biodiversity to Barratt, we wanted to prompt our colleagues to take action in their gardens, while linking to the RSPB.

Total results

The final results are the total of all the results for home, travel, food, goods and services. A fixed ‘public services’ factor has also been added to reflect the important point that there are lots of indirect impacts on your footprint that are out of your immediate control. Government expenditure on roads and construction, education, defence, health, and other expenses involved in running the country all impact your own footprint and our joint impact on the planet.

We have also calculated the ecological footprint for each question. The ecological footprint is derived directly from the tCO2e figure using a tCO2 to the global hectare multiplier sourced from the National Footprint Accounts 2019. The resulting global hectare value is uplifted by the relevant uplift factor to account for the non-carbon footprint element of the ecological footprint which reflects the wider impact of infrastructure.

Further details can be found in the full methodology here.

Report a problem

Having trouble with the calculator? Please fill in the form below with the deatils and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Contact us

Please get in touch if you have any queries or feedback on the calculator. We would love to hear from you!

Email us at: sustainability@barrattplc.co.uk

Data Sources

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/giving-up-beef-reduce-carbon-footprint-more-than-cars
  2. https://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/economical-cars/electric-cars/650/cost-of-running-an-electric-car
  3. https://bulb.co.uk/carbon-tracker/
  4. https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/cotton
  5. https://www.viessmann.co.uk/company/blog/the-carbon-footprint-of-nearly-everything
  6. https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk/
  7. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/874265/UK_Statistics_on_Waste_statistical_notice_March_2020_accessible_FINAL_rev_v0.5.pdf
  8. http://www.bluebulbprojects.com/measureofthings/default.php
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