GOV.UK CADv2025 - methods and changes
The updates described in this article will go live on Dec 11, 2025.
Summary
| Publisher | GOV.UK |
| Full name | UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting |
| Description | Emission Factor set published by UK Government for use by UK and international organisations. |
| Version nr. | CADv2025 |
Source documents
Methodology readout notes
General Methodology
GOV.UK emission factors were read from the country-/activity-level tables in the official publications. Values were extracted for the relevant details as published.
When the source provided values in gCO₂/kWh or kgCO₂ per unit, those original units were preserved and converted as needed to align with CAD internal unit conventions.
Update cadence
Expected update dates will be added later.
Data considerations and notes
General content notes
- SECR kWh values for per-distance measurements were published in 2020 for the first time. These are not available in 2019 and earlier years.
- SECR kWh values for per-distance measurements are not available for non-operational (scope 3) transport modes like public transport or per tonne.km goods transport.
Emission factor value flags
- Data quality concerns about Hotel Stay emission factors published in 2021 and earlier.
- R1234yf and R1234ze are set to 1 kgCO₂e/kg in the source files; this is likely a conservative overestimate.
- Natural gas in UK does not include any mixed-in biogas.
What's new in CADv2025
Important keyword changes
The waste category previously labelled “combustion” has been renamed to “Incineration with energy recovery” by the publisher.
The main goal of this change is clarifying that energy recovery is assumed. The keyword has been updated across the dataset for all relevant factors and all years.
Important methodological changes
All factors for the reporting year 2025 were updated to the 2025 publication.
Factors for reporting years 2024 and earlier are unchanged in this update.
Factor changes with CADv2025
Significant changes for reporting year 2025 include:
- Avtur (renewable): +44.3%
- Flights: -20 to -40% depending on flight type and distance (adjustments post COVID recovery)
- Upstream/downstream transport: +10–20% (increased emission for vans due to decreased average loaded goods)
- Waste: -27% (adjustment in material recovery facility emissions)
- Water Supply: +25%
- Battery EV vehicles: -11% to -13% (grid greening and efficiency)
- Electricity: −10.3% (grid greening)
and other minor correction in order -10% to +10%
See 2025 Major changes to the Conversion Factors
Other changes
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