What are facility utilities?
Utilities are the core resources that your facilities consume — electricity, water, heat, and refrigerants. Each of these has an environmental footprint that depends on how much is used, where the facility is located, and what energy source is behind the supply.
The Utilities section is where you record how much of each resource a facility uses during a given period.
How utilities work in Root
Utility data is recorded through contracts. A contract represents a period of consumption for a specific utility type at a specific facility. Each contract includes:
The utility type — Electricity, water, heat, or refrigerants.
The time period — A start date and end date.
The data type — Whether the data is actual (measured) or estimated.
One or more sources — The specific energy or resource sources used, with quantities.
For example, an electricity contract might cover January to December 2024, with two sources: 80% grid electricity and 20% on-site solar.
You can find the template here. For instructions on how to fill in the template, check the chapter below related to the template specifications.
Utility types
Root tracks four standard utility types:
Electricity
Records the electrical energy consumed at a facility. Root uses the facility's country to determine which grid mix applies. You can specify multiple electricity sources if the facility uses a combination (e.g. grid electricity plus renewable energy).
Water
Records the water consumed at a facility. Like electricity, the emission factor depends on the facility's geographic region.
Heat
Records thermal energy used for heating. Heat sources can vary widely — district heating, natural gas, biomass, etc. Each source has its own emission factor. When adding a heat source, Root shows you the available options and their environmental impact so you can choose the right one.
Refrigerants
Records amounts or refrigerants used in a facility.
How to add utility data
Step 1: Navigate to a facility
Open the facility and go to its utility contracts section. You'll see the status for each utility type and year.
Step 2: Create a new contract
For each utility type you want to record, create a new contract:
Select the utility type (electricity, water, heat, or refrigerants).
Set the date range — The period this data covers.
Choose actual or estimate:
Actual — The amount is used as-is in calculations.
Estimate — The amount is multiplied by the facility's total product mass to scale the estimate proportionally.
Add one or more sources with their quantities and units.
Step 3: Select energy sources
For each source in a contract, you provide:
The source type — Selected from a list of available options (which depends on the utility type and facility geography).
The amount — How much was consumed (e.g. 50,000 kWh).
The unit — The unit of measurement (kWh, MJ, m3, liters, etc.).
The percentage — If a contract has multiple sources, you can specify what percentage each represents.
For electricity, you can also choose to exclude imported electricity from the calculation if needed.
Step 4: Attach evidence (optional)
You can attach supporting documents (invoices, meter readings, etc.) to any contract. This is useful for audit trails and data verification.
Step 5: Done
Once a contract is saved, Root calculates the environmental impact for that utility based on the emission factors for the selected sources and geography.
How to fill in the Utilities template
The workbook has 5 tabs. You only ever type into Utilities; the other four (Electricity/Heat/Water/Cooling datasets) are lookup tables you copy codes from.
Column | What it means | Example | Notes |
Facility name * | Must match a facility already in Root exactly |
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Start / End date * | Contract period |
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Dataset * | The exact URN code copied from the relevant reference tab |
| See workflow below — never type this by hand |
Capital owned * |
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| Drives Scope 1+2 vs Scope 3 in the impact calc |
Quantity * | The consumption number |
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Unit * | Must match the Units listed for that URN on the reference tab |
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Data input |
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| This is the Actual vs Estimate distinction from the main article |
Percentage | Only needed if a contract has more than one source row — the split adds up to 1 across those rows |
| Leave blank / use |
Finding the right Dataset code (don't hand-type it)
Go to the reference tab matching the utility type: Electricity datasets, Heat datasets, Water datasets, or Cooling datasets.
Filter/search the Geographies column for the facility's country or grid code (e.g.
PT,CN-CCG). This narrows your options to what's actually valid for that location.Pick the row matching what the facility actually uses (see Type/Source/Voltage below).
Copy the exact value from the URN column into the Dataset field on the Utilities tab.
Understanding Electricity dataset codes
Each URN is built as TYPE:SOURCE:[optional labels]:VOLTAGE, e.g. GREEN:HYDRO:RESERVOIR:ALPINE_REGION:HIGH.
Part | What it is | Values you'll see |
Type | Broad category of the electricity |
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Source | Generation technology |
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Optional labels | Sub-technology detail (turbine size, panel type, installation type…) | Only present for some sources |
Voltage | See below |
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What "high / medium / low" actually means? It refers to the grid voltage level the facility is connected at, which determines how much transmission/transformation loss is baked into the emission factor:
High voltage — electricity essentially as it leaves the power plant, before stepping down for distribution. Used for facilities connected directly to the transmission grid — typically very large industrial sites (heavy manufacturing, smelters).
Medium voltage — stepped down once for distribution to industrial/commercial-scale consumers. This is the right default for most factories, warehouses, and production facilities.
Low voltage — stepped down further, for small commercial or residential-scale connections (offices, small workshops, retail).
Because each step-down adds losses, low voltage typically carries a slightly higher emission factor than high voltage for the same underlying generation mix. Practical rule of thumb: pick medium voltage unless you specifically know the facility has a high-voltage industrial grid connection or is a small office-type site on a low-voltage connection. Not every Source has all three options — e.g. rooftop solar PV mostly only has low, since that reflects how it's actually installed.
Heat, Water, and Cooling tabs
Heat datasets — codes describe fuel (
Coal,Biogas,Biomethane, etc.), plus optional combustion technology labels; there's no voltage concept here.Water datasets — a single generic
WATERURN, varying only by unit and geography.Cooling datasets (refrigerants) — pick by refrigerant name directly (
R134a,R125, etc.); GWP values are shown for reference, no lookup logic needed.
How impact is calculated
For each utility source:
Impact = emission factor x amount x percentage
The emission factor is determined by:
The source type — What kind of energy (grid electricity, solar, natural gas, etc.).
The geography — Where the facility is located (automatically set from the facility's address).
Ownership — Whether the facility is owned by your company or operated by a third party. Owned facilities may use different emission factors.
For estimate contracts, the amount is additionally multiplied by the facility's total product mass:
Impact = emission factor x amount x product mass
The impact is distributed evenly across the months covered by the contract period.
Actual vs. estimate data
Actual — Use this when you have real measured data (e.g. from utility bills or meters). The quantity is used directly.
Estimate — Use this when you only have a per-unit estimate (e.g. "0.5 kWh per kg of product"). The quantity is multiplied by the facility's total product mass to get the total consumption.
GHG scope allocation
The GHG scope depends on the facility type:
Owned facilities — Scope 1 (direct combustion) and Scope 2 (purchased energy).
Third-party facilities (suppliers, distribution centers, franchises) — Scope 3.
Tips
Use actual data whenever possible. Estimates are useful as a starting point, but actual consumption data gives more accurate results.
Check your sources. Make sure the energy source you select matches what the facility actually uses. Choosing "solar" when the facility uses grid electricity will understate the impact.
Provide evidence for audits. Attaching utility bills or meter readings makes your data easier to verify.
Mark unused utilities as "not used." If a facility doesn't use refrigerants or heat, mark those as not used in the facility details to keep the facility complete.
Watch the date ranges. Contracts should cover the reporting period you care about. Gaps in coverage may leave months unaccounted for.