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Home / Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) / CIF Carbon Calculator

CIF Carbon Calculator

About

The Construction Industry Federation in partnership with the Action Sustainability Tool launched the ‘CIF Carbon Calculator’, an innovative carbon measurement solution designed specifically for the Irish construction industry.

In an era where sustainability is no longer optional but a business imperative, understanding how to quantify and control your organisation’s carbon footprint is crucial. This tool comes at a pivotal time when both regulatory pressures and stakeholder expectations around carbon disclosures are escalating.

Why start now?

   Regulation is coming

Public projects will require whole life carbon reporting from September 2025. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will mandate embodied carbon reporting for large buildings from 2028 and for all buildings from 2030.

   Clients are asking

Main contractors and public bodies increasingly request emissions data in tenders. The earlier you start, the more credible you’ll look.

   Competitors are learning

Even small firms are starting to use the Voluntary SME (VSME) Basic Module. Waiting too long means playing catch-up.

   Avoid the panic curve

Begin now to build skills without pressure, so you’re confident when reporting becomes compulsory.

Building skills for what’s ahead

The CIF Carbon Calculator builds competence in measuring:

  • Scope 1 emissions – Direct emissions from fossil fuels (oil, gas, petrol, diesel, gasoil) and fugitive emissions (refrigerant leaks).
  • Scope 2 emissions – Purchased electricity.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is developing a methodology and a free embodied carbon calculator for building emissions. Using the CIF tool now will help firms understand their operational data in advance of the 2028 EPBD requirements and the SEAI tool release.

Although emissions can be calculated using spreadsheets, this is more labour-intensive and prone to error, as emissions factors must be entered manually. The CIF calculator eliminates this friction by embedding the correct factors from the start.

Two routes to suit your needs

Free version: Quick win, no risk

Ideal for aligning annual carbon reporting with your financial year, capturing Scope 1 and 2 emissions plus some simple Scope 3 categories.

Benefits:

  • Instant start – Simple, short videos guide you through each section.
  • Avoid guesswork – Emissions factors are pre-loaded into the tool.
  • Spot key drivers – Identify the biggest sources of emissions quickly.
  • Build carbon literacy – Increase understanding within your team without overwhelming detail.
  • Meet VSME Basic requirements – Satisfy voluntary reporting for Scope 1 & 2.
  • Get ahead of procurement – Meet emerging client and main contractor requirements.
  • Action over perfection – Take meaningful steps before perfect data is even possible.

Using the free version is low-cost signalling to clients and partners that you are a forward-thinking, responsible business – a competitive advantage that requires no major investment.

Learn more here

Paid version: The strategic advantage

For firms, particularly those bidding for major contracts, working with large main contractors, or reporting under CSRD.

Benefits:

  • All the benefits of the free version, plus:
  • Map emissions across your full supply chain (Scope 3).
  • Identify where 90%+ of emissions typically occur – in purchased goods and services.
  • Support VSME Comprehensive Module reporting.
  • Strengthen tenders with advanced, credible sustainability data.

This shifts sustainability from a compliance obligation to a commercial advantage – the kind that can win projects.

Learn more here

CIF Carbon Calculator Webinar

Watch the webinar and learn more about the Carbon Calculator

Frequently asked questions

The carbon calculator is designed to help supplier companies calculate their carbon emissions and then distribute a percentage of emissions to their clients based on financial turnover. You can view ‘how to’ videos that explain step by step how to register, how to report emissions and how to apportion available here: https://cif.sustainabilitytool.com/

You can create an account for your company at https://cif.sustainabilitytool.com/ and then apportion 100% of your emissions to the account ‘Non-Partner Client’.

The calculator is available for as free and paid versions to all suppliers who want to calculate their own emissions data. Learn more about the versions here: https://cif.sustainabilitytool.com/

The calculator uses the activity data that you provide and converts it into carbon emissions by applying the corresponding conversion factors. The system uses a combination of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and BATH ICE conversion factors.

As a supplier, you can choose to report data either monthly, quarterly or annually.

Please note that some Partners and/or CIF members have communicated with their suppliers how frequently they want them to report their data. If you are unsure, please contact your clients who are Partners and/or CIF members to enquire how frequently they would require you to report.

  • Scope 1 emissions – Direct emissions from fossil fuels (oil, gas, petrol, diesel, gasoil) and fugitive emissions (refrigerant leaks).
  • Scope 2 emissions – Purchased electricity.
  • Scope 3 emissions – Indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur outside of a company’s direct operations, but within its value chain.

The EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is a longstanding policy designed to improve the energy performance of buildings and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It has been implemented through various revisions of national building regulations, such as Ireland’s Part L, which in 2008 introduced the requirement for Building Energy Ratings (BERs). A key new requirement of the latest EPBD revision is the mandatory inclusion of embodied carbon in the BER. This means the emissions from the entire lifecycle of a building – including the manufacturing of construction materials, their transport to the site, and the contractor’s on-site emissions – must be measured and reported, in addition to the building’s operational energy use. This shift signifies a more holistic approach to decarbonising the built environment.

The recent simplification of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) provides breathing space for SMEs to focus on foundational carbon measurement. The Voluntary SME (VSME) standard now holds greater relevance for smaller firms and those no longer in full CSRD scope (for example, due to the employee threshold rising from 250 to 1,000).

  • Basic Module – Scope 1 & 2 only (ideal starting point)
  • Comprehensive Module – Scope 1, 2 & detailed Scope 3

Most firms are expected to begin with the Basic Module using the free CIF Carbon Calculator, with some progressing to Comprehensive reporting over time.

Whole life carbon (WLC) is the total greenhouse gas emissions from a building or infrastructure project over its entire lifespan, including both embodied carbon (materials and construction) and operational carbon (use and maintenance).

Green Public Procurement (GPP) is the practice of public authorities giving preference to goods, services, and works that have a lower environmental impact over their entire life cycle.

WLC assessments will be phased in for public sector projects:

Buildings – SEAI methodology:

Date Non-Residential Residential Requirement
From 1 Sept 2025 > €10m > €60m WLC GHG assessment required
From 1 June 2026 > €5m > €30m WLC GHG assessment required

 

Infrastructure – outside SEAI building methodology:

Date Infrastructure Requirement
From 1 Sept 2025 ≥ €60m Exchequer funding WLC GHG assessment required
From 1 June 2026 ≥ €10m Exchequer funding WLC GHG assessment required

 

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