Greenhouse gases are those gases that soak up and give off radiation in the atmosphere, leading to the greenhouse effect, which simply means heating. The main gases involved in creating the greenhouse effect on our planet are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, water vapor, ozone, nitrous oxide and CFCs, that is, chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are emitted on a regular basis by human beings, which cause more and more global warming. Having a personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator is one step that can be taken to reduce the emissions every day.

Also referred to as a Household Emissions Calculator or Climate Change Calculator, the Personal Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator helps an individual to understand how their consumption of fuel and other energy sources contribute to global warming and provide ideas on how to cut down their emissions.

The calculator is available online from such websites as the EPA and NASA websites . The calculator enables the user to estimate the current level of emissions in their household, to find out what the person can do about it if their emissions are high, and to give a monetary value to saving on greenhouse gas emissions. The calculator shows how much money one can save by cutting down on how much they use on their energy needs.

The Personal Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator takes about 10 to 15 minutes to fill in. One may need to collect their recent bills for gas and electricity in order to receive the most accurate results from the calculator. There is also an allowance for more specific details about the home, such as the exact square kilometers it occupies. Having more details reveals a more accurate calculation of greenhouse emissions in the home.

The main aspects that the calculator incorporates are the number of people living in a particular household; modes of heating in the home such as electricity or gas; transportation, meaning the number of vehicles currently owned by the residents of the home as well as the mileage on each one; and waste and recycling. Assumptions made by the makers of the greenhouse gas emissions calculator are based on national and international statistics on energy consumptions and global warming.

Emissions from air travel are not included since the calculator is mainly focused on the household. For individuals who are frequent flyers, the emissions calculations should include the amount of fuel they spend on ground transportation such as fuelling the car to get to the airport. Air travel emissions will be included in the calculator in the future because aircraft consumption is calculated differently from the household consumptions.

Several suggestions are offered at the end of taking the personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator that can be done in the home, in the office and on the road. They include switching to energy saving light bulbs, cleaning air filters to decrease the energy spent in heating and cooling the household, insulating the attic and the basement of the house, and the three Rs of handling waste: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The reminder to spread the word about the personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator should not be taken for granted because the more the people who know about changing their lifestyles to fight against global warming, the greater the change that can be made in the environment.