Software · buyer guide · Scope 2
Scope 2 software: choosing a tool for purchased electricity
Scope 2 software is any tool that turns meter readings and energy bills into emissions from the electricity, heat, steam and cooling a company buys, using the right factor for the year the energy was used.
Nearly every carbon platform says it covers Scope 1, 2 and 3, so this buyer’s guide narrows the test to what separates them on Scope 2. The two methods a tool must handle are set out on Scope 2 reporting software.
What you are buying
What is Scope 2 software, and what makes one different?
Scope 2 is usually the easiest scope to calculate and the easiest to get subtly wrong: the kilowatt-hours come from meters and bills, and the factor changes every year.
DESNZ says its 2026 factors are for activity falling entirely or mostly within 2026, and that the generated factor is Scope 2 while transmission and distribution losses are Scope 3, at ¶¶1.10 and 3.9 of its methodology paper.
So the buyer’s questions are about data in, factor choice and contract evidence, not about whether the tool “does Scope 2”.
| Kind of product | What it does for Scope 2 | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon accounting platform | Scope 1, 2 and 3 from one data set | Scope 2 is one part of a full inventory |
| Energy management or bureau service | Meter and bill data, validated, with kWh by site | Many meters and suppliers |
| Utility bill management tool | Invoices checked and turned into consumption | Bills are the main data source |
| Spreadsheet and the DESNZ factors | kWh times the year’s factor | A few meters, one supplier |
The platforms, in their own words
Which platforms say they calculate Scope 2?
33 of the 73 vendors in this site’s registry use these words about themselves on the pages read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026, listed alphabetically, which ranks nothing.
Most quotes name Scope 1, 2 and 3 together; a few name location-based and market-based methods explicitly, which is the more specific claim.
Vendors whose own words mention Scope 2 or its methods · 33 of 73 vendors · read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026
Each cell is the vendor’s own description of itself, linked to the page it is on. Alphabetical order ranks nothing.
A vendor not listed may still do the job: put the question to it in writing.
Read each quote for whether it names the two Scope 2 methods, because that is the claim that matters if you hold renewable contracts.
Several of these platforms take meter feeds directly, which is where most of the time on Scope 2 is saved.
What Scope 2 claims cover
Scope 1, 2 and 3
What Scope 2 claims cover
Market-based
What Scope 2 claims cover
Alphabetical
Order of work
How do you build a Scope 2 software shortlist?
Count meters and suppliers first, because data ingestion is where Scope 2 tools differ most.
Then decide whether you need a market-based figure at all.
| Step | What to do | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List meters, sites and energy suppliers | How much data must be ingested |
| 2 | List any renewable tariffs, REGOs or power purchase agreements | Whether a market-based figure is needed |
| 3 | Note which reports need Scope 2 | SECR, UK SRS S2, CDP or a customer request |
| 4 | Ask two vendors to load one year of your bills | Time to a checked kWh total |
| 5 | Check the factor year on one figure | The DESNZ set for the activity year |
| 6 | Price three years | The cost tool beside the next section |
Price
What does Scope 2 software cost?
Scope 2 is rarely sold on its own; it comes inside a carbon accounting platform, and most publish no price.
A few vendors in the table publish one, sometimes with a free tier, and the table links each price to its page.
The DESNZ factors themselves are free from GOV.UK.
The calculator beside this compares a three-year quote with the staff time the current process takes.
Your three-year cost · your numbers only
Three-year total £0
Arithmetic on the figures you type, from the vendor’s written quote.
Added entities are counted for an average of one and a half years each. This page states no vendor price and estimates none.
Nothing is stored or sent.
In the demo
What should you ask in a Scope 2 software demo?
These are buying questions; the method-level output tests are on Scope 2 reporting software.
Bring a year of real bills, including one estimated bill and one with a REGO-backed tariff.
Scope 2 software demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
What changes the numbers
When is Scope 2 software worth buying?
The trigger is usually a second report: once SECR, UK SRS S2 and a customer all want Scope 2, each with its own period, a spreadsheet starts to strain.
Listed companies in five UKLR categories report against UK SRS on a comply-or-explain basis for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, and S2 asks for location-based Scope 2.
The GHG Protocol consulted on hourly matching for the market-based method, and its 29 July 2026 feedback summary reported low support as proposed, so no tool needs it today.
Read the detail and references
UK SRS S2 ¶29(a)(v) requires location-based Scope 2 and information about any contractual instruments necessary to understand the figure; it does not require a market-based figure (the standard).
The GHG Protocol’s Scope 2 Guidance asks for both a location-based and a market-based figure where a company operates in markets with contractual instruments.
DESNZ’s 2026 methodology gives 0.13096 kgCO2e per kWh generated as the Scope 2 factor and 0.01299 for transmission and distribution losses, classed as Scope 3.
The GHG Protocol’s feedback summary of 29 July 2026 reported low support for hourly matching as proposed.
Spreadsheet or software
Is a spreadsheet enough for Scope 2?
Often, yes: Scope 2 for a handful of meters is kilowatt-hours multiplied by the year’s DESNZ factor.
For SECR, purchased electricity belongs in the report, including electricity bought for transport, under Schedule 7 Part 7A (legislation.gov.uk).
A spreadsheet strains with hundreds of meters, estimated bills replaced by actuals, or contracts that need a market-based figure beside the location-based one.
The worksheet beside this compares a quote with the hours the current process takes.
Platform against the way you work now
Current process £0 a year · quote £0 a year
Fill in all three to see the break-even hours.
Arithmetic on your own inputs.
The quote’s implementation, uplift and exit terms are in the three-year worksheet on the carbon reporting software page.
Nothing is stored or sent.
After signature
How does a Scope 2 software roll-out run?
Start with the supply-point list: every later error traces back to a meter missing from it.
No rule sets an implementation time; ask the vendor for a dated plan to a closed figure for last year.
Keep the bills and contract evidence where you can reach them without the tool.
From bills to a closed figure
Meters and suppliers
From bills to a closed figure
Bills and readings
From bills to a closed figure
Close the period
For the board
Every carbon platform says it does Scope 2; the test is your bills, your contracts and the right year’s factor.
Buy for data ingestion and factor discipline, and a market-based figure only if you hold contracts.
Takeaways
Scope 2 software, in five facts
| What is true | What to do |
|---|---|
| The 2026 UK Scope 2 factor is 0.13096 kgCO2e per kWh generated | Check the tool uses the set for the activity year |
| Transmission and distribution losses are Scope 3 | Check they are not added to Scope 2 |
| UK SRS S2 requires location-based Scope 2 | Make it the figure the tool leads with |
| The GHG Protocol asks for market-based too where contracts exist | Hold REGO and tariff evidence |
| Hourly matching is not adopted | Do not pay extra for it as a requirement |
Next: the two Scope 2 methods a tool must handle are on Scope 2 reporting software, and Scope 2 itself on Scope 2 emissions.
Frequently asked
Scope 2 software, answered
What is Scope 2 software?
A tool that turns meter readings and energy bills into emissions from purchased electricity, heat, steam and cooling, using the factor for the year the energy was used.
What is the UK Scope 2 factor for 2026?
DESNZ’s 2026 set gives 0.13096 kgCO2e per kWh generated as the Scope 2 location-based factor.
Transmission and distribution losses, 0.01299, are Scope 3.
Does UK SRS require market-based Scope 2?
No. UK SRS S2 requires location-based Scope 2 and information about any contractual instruments needed to understand it.
Does the GHG Protocol require market-based Scope 2?
Its Scope 2 Guidance asks for both figures where a company operates in markets with contractual instruments such as REGOs.
Which software calculates Scope 2?
The table on this page lists every vendor in this site’s registry whose own words mention Scope 2 or its methods, alphabetically and quoted. This site has tested none.
Is hourly matching required?
No. The GHG Protocol consulted on it, and its 29 July 2026 feedback summary reported low support as proposed.
Is a spreadsheet enough for Scope 2?
For a few meters, often yes: kilowatt-hours times the year’s DESNZ factor.
Software helps with many meters, estimated bills and contract evidence.
Should a tool use live grid intensity for Scope 2?
Not for the reported figure.
NESO’s half-hourly intensity is an operational number; the DESNZ factor for the activity year is the reporting figure.
Does EV charging count in Scope 2?
Electricity bought by the company counts, and for SECR the purchased-electricity line includes electricity bought for transport.
What does Scope 2 software cost?
It usually comes inside a carbon accounting platform, and most publish no price.
The vendor table shows prices where vendors publish them.
What is the difference between Scope 2 software and Scope 2 reporting software?
This page is the buyer guide.
The two methods a tool must handle are set out on the Scope 2 reporting software page.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (PDF), ¶29(a)(v)
Location-based Scope 2 and contractual-instrument information.
- GHG ProtocolScope 2 Guidance
Location-based and market-based methods.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Standard
The scopes themselves.
- GHG ProtocolScope 2 consultation: summary of feedback (29 July 2026)
Low support for hourly matching as proposed.
- GHG ProtocolStandard development updates
Where the revision stands.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
The 2026 factor set.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 methodology paper, ¶¶1.10, 3.1, 3.9 and Table 9
Activity-year rule; generated factor is Scope 2; T&D losses Scope 3.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 major changes report
The electricity factor’s change from 2025.
- OfgemRenewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO)
The UK’s renewable certificates.
- OfgemFuel Mix Disclosure
Supplier fuel mix.
- AIBEuropean Residual Mix
Residual mix for market-based figures.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410 Schedule 7 Part 7A (SECR, unquoted companies)
Purchased electricity, including for transport.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410 Schedule 7 Part 7 (quoted companies)
The quoted-company duty.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ, Defra)Environmental Reporting Guidelines, including SECR
Government SECR guidance.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — UK SRS for listed companies
Comply or explain for periods from 1 January 2027.
- NESOCarbon Intensity API
Half-hourly grid intensity: operational, not the reporting factor.