Data Center Embodied Carbon Amortization Calculator

Spread the embodied carbon of a data center across the service life and express the resulting emissions allocation per unit of IT energy, with optional workload-specific apportionment.

Cradle-to-gate emissions for construction, electrical, and IT equipment.
Years over which the embodied carbon is allocated.
Metered IT energy throughput per year at the intended utilisation.
Defaults to 100%. Portion of the facility assigned to a specific programme or customer.

Cross-check embodied carbon values against supplier environmental product declarations and engineering bills of materials before publishing compliance filings.

Examples

  • 12,000 tCO2e embodied, 15-year horizon, 180,000 MWh/year, 25% allocation ⇒ Annual amortized embodied carbon: 800.00 tCO2e/year
  • 8,000 tCO2e embodied, 10-year horizon, 95,000 MWh/year, allocation left blank ⇒ Annual amortized embodied carbon: 800.00 tCO2e/year

FAQ

Which assets should be included in total embodied carbon?

Combine construction materials, electrical distribution, mechanical systems, rack infrastructure, and IT hardware purchased for the site. Include upstream manufacturing emissions reported by suppliers or lifecycle inventories.

How do I select an amortization period?

Align the period with corporate capital planning or regulatory guidance. Many operators use 10–20 years for building shells and 5–8 years for IT refreshes; pick the weighted average that matches the assets being allocated.

What if annual IT energy fluctuates?

Update the calculation each year with actual metered data. Using forecast energy for forward-looking disclosures is acceptable, but annotate the assumption and revisit when utilisation materially changes.

Can I allocate embodied carbon using metrics other than percent share?

Yes. Convert rack counts, power reservations, or revenue splits into a percentage of the facility total and enter the resulting value so the calculator scales the annual tonnes accordingly.

Additional Information

  • Embodied carbon divided by the amortization period yields annual tonnes of CO2e attributable to capital assets.
  • Dividing annual tonnes by IT energy converts the impact into kg CO2e per delivered MWh and g CO2e per kWh.
  • Use the optional allocation field to apportion embodied carbon to a tenant, cluster, or programme based on space, power, or revenue share.

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