EN1.3.4
Commuting to/from work or Homeworking
Environment
- Measuring GHG Emissions
Commuting to/from work or Homeworking
Update- 3 June 2025: We have revised the environmental value EN1.3.4 Commuting to/from work or Homeworking to reflect the recent expansion of our environmental values. For more details on the purpose and scope of this expansion, please refer to our blog post: “Expanding MeasureUp’s environmental values“. Please note that the name of the value is updated to EN1.3.4 Commuting to/from work or Homeworking which was previously EN3.4 Greener Travel – Commuting or Changing Fleet.
“Commuting to/from work” refers to the daily travel of employees between their homes and their regular workplace. This includes all transportation modes such as personal vehicles, public transport, cycling, or walking.
“Homeworking” refers to employees working remotely from their homes instead of commuting to a central workplace. This can lead to different environmental impacts, such as increased home energy use but reduced commuting emissions.
Both commuting and homeworking are typically considered Scope 3 emissions under greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, as they involve indirect emissions not directly controlled by the company.
This value links to the Master Value EN1 GHG Emissions value.
Key Value
A value of £252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e
The monetised value of emissions from commuting to/from work or homeworking is as follows:
- Average sized Petrol Car: 4.1p per km
- Average Local Bus: 2.7p per km
- National Rail: 0.9p per km
- Homeworking (office equipment + heating): 8.4p per km FTE working hour
- Walking/Cycling: 0 per km
Conversion factors should be used to report Scope 3 emissions for individuals traveling for work purposes and homeworking. For more information about principles for GHG accounting and reporting and three “scopes” of emissions, please visit MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.
According to the 2021 carbon values from DESNZ/BEIS, Carbon values in £2020 prices per tonne of CO2: central series for 2023 is £252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e. For more information, please visit MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.
UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e per km/miles driven for different type of passenger vehicles and homeworking. Access the data.
| Activity | Unit | KgCO2e | Monetised Value |
| Average sized Petrol Car | km | 0.16450 | 4.1p |
| Average Local Bus | passenger.km | 0.10846 | 2.7p |
| Light rail and tram | passenger.km | 0.02860 | 0.7p |
| Homeworking (office equipment + heating) | per FTE Working Hour | 0.33378 | 8.4p |
| Walking/Cycling | km | 0 | 0 |
Please visit the government conversion factors for greenhouse gas reporting website for further guidance.
This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted. The value should therefore not be presented as a positive value or added to an overall social value figure.
Please note the following points from the guidance in UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024
- Users should be mindful of the difference between vehicle km conversion factors and passenger km conversion factors. Vehicle km conversion factors should be applied to a whole vehicle (such as a car or taxi) being used for business purposes. Passenger km factors should be used when single passengers are travelling by means of mass transport (such as by train) and the aim is to report emissions on a single-person basis, not account for the whole vehicle.
- It should be noted that the conversion factors for cars and vans (excluding plug-in electric vehicles) are the same as those in the ‘passenger vehicles’ and ‘delivery vehicles’ listings. Where a car or van is not owned or controlled by the reporting organisation, the vehicles should be accounted for in Scope 3 as opposed to Scope 1, but the conversion factors and their categories remain the same.
- The conversion factors for electric cars are the same as those in the ‘passenger vehicles’ listings PLUS the emissions from the electricity consumption. Where a car is not owned or controlled by the reporting organisation, the vehicles should be accounted for in Scope 3 as opposed to Scope 1 (for petrol/diesel use) and Scope 2 (for electricity use), but the conversion factors and their categories remain the same.
- To avoid double-counting of emissions, do not include activity/emissions resulting from the use of plug-in electric vehicles that are charged predominantly on your organisation’s premises if you are also already reporting the emissions resulting from your electricity consumed there.
Local Needs Analysis Data Source
Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.
Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.
To assess local needs related to the value EN1.4 ‘ Commuting to/from work or Homeworking ‘, you can use indicators that show how people commute and how accessible employment centres are by different transport modes. Key data sources include: Method of travel to work (Census 2021) – Provides detailed information on how people commute (e.g., car, public transport, cycling, walking), available at local authority and MSOA levels. This data is collected every 10 years. Travel time to employment centre by mode of transport (ONS – Local Statistics Explorer) – Offers insight into the accessibility of work opportunities by different transport types. Data will be available for local authority, combined authority, region, and country levels. You can filter data by country, region, combined authority, or local authority, depending on the indicator. Together, these indicators help evaluate the sustainability and efficiency of local commuting patterns and identify areas where investment in transport infrastructure or remote working policies may be beneficial.
Bronze
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
Estimate the total distance of commuting to/from work and the number of working hours at home. Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions.
Step 1: Determine the commuting type (e.g. car, bus, rail and walk or cycling)
Step 2: Estimate the approximate distances in km or miles and multiply the distance by the monetised cost of travel.
Step 3: Estimate the number of employee or hours worked from home and multiply it by the monetised cost of homework.
Step 4: Add them together.
Here’s an example
A company with 10 employees aims to report its commuting to/from work and homework emissions over a year. Following table show the estimated values for a year for this company.
| Activity | Number of Employee | Total amount of distance or working hours for a day | Monetised Value |
| Average sized Petrol Car | 2 | 80km | 80*4.1p = 328p |
| Average Local Bus | 2 | 20km | 20*2.7p = 54p |
| Light rail and tram | 2 | 40km | 40*0.7p =28p |
| Homeworking (office equipment + heating) | 3 | 24 FTE working hour | 24*8.4p = 201p |
| Walking/Cycling | 1 | 4km | 0 |
Total Monetised value of commuting or homeworking for this organisation is 611p for a day.
In a typical year, there are approximately 260 working days, depending on the number of public holidays and weekends. Total Monetised value of commuting or homeworking for this organisation is £1588.6 over a year.
Silver
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Silver level, you should calculate the approximate km travelled for commuting, by type of vehicle, as each produces different levels of carbon emissions. Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions.
UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e per km/miles driven for different type of passenger vehicles. Access the data.
- Cars (by market segment): Mini, Supermini, Lower Medium, Upper Medium, Executive, Luxury, Sports, Dual Purpose 4X4, MPV.
- Cars (by size): Small Car, Medium Car, Large Car, Average Car.
- Motorbikes: Small, Medium, Large, Average.
- Taxis: Regular Taxi, Black Cab.
- Buses: Local Bus (Not London), Local London Bus, Average Local Bus, Coach.
- Rail: National Rail, International Rail, Light Rail and Tram, London Underground.
Estimate the equivalent alternative mode of transport being used. For the monetised value times this by the monetised cost of carbon.
Here’s an example
A company with 10 employees aims to report its commuting to/from work and homework emissions over a year. Following table show the estimated values for a year for this company.
| Activity | Number of Employee | Total amount of distance or working hours for a day | Monetised Value |
| Small Size Petrol Car | 1 | 40km | 40*3.6p = 144p |
| Medium Size Car- Battery Electric Vehicle: | 1 | 40km | 40* 1.16p =46.4p |
| Average Local Bus | 2 | 20km | 20*2.7p = 54p |
| Light rail and tram | 1 | 10km | 10*0.7p =7p |
| National rail | 1 | 30km | 30*0.9p= 27p |
| Homeworking (office equipment + heating) | 3 | 24 FTE working hour | 24*8.4p = 201p |
| Walking/Cycling | 1 | 4km | 0 |
Total Monetised value of commuting or homeworking for this organisation is 479.4p for a day.
In a typical year, there are approximately 260 working days, depending on the number of public holidays and weekends. Total Monetised value of commuting or homeworking for this organisation is £1246.4 over a year.
Gold
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Gold level, you would be expected to
- Measure more accurately using more specific data for you in-scope activities.
- Track the emissions over time. Steps in tracking emissions (choosing a base year and recalculating base year emissions) are explained in detail in the GHG Protocol Chapter 5 – Tracking Emissions Over Time
Record the followings:
- Actual road mileage travelled (e.g. from telemetry data from devices installed in vehicles etc.)
- Actual car size (small, medium, large, sports) and fuel type (petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric)
For freight, measure using litres of fuel and kW/h electricity as a more accurate measurement than miles/km travelled.
Here’s an example
A company with 10 employees reports its commuting to/from work and homework emissions over a year. Following table show the estimated values in 2023 and 2024 for this company.
| 2023 | 2024 | |||
| Activity | Total amount of distance or working hours for a day | Monetised Value | Total amount of distance or working hours for a day | Monetised Value |
| Small Size Petrol Car | 40km | 40*3.6p = 144p | 0 | 0 |
| Medium Size Car- Battery Electric Vehicle: | 40km | 40* 1.16p =46.4p | 80km | 80* 1.16p =93p |
| Average Local Bus | 20km | 20*2.7p = 54p | 20km | 20*2.7p = 54p |
| Light rail and tram | 10km | 10*0.7p =7p | 10km | 10*0.7p =7p |
| National rail | 30km | 30*0.9p= 27p | 30km | 30*0.9p= 27p |
| Homeworking (office equipment + heating) | 24 FTE working hour | 24*8.4p = 201p | 24 FTE working hour | 24*8.4p = 201p |
| Walking/Cycling | 4km | 0 | 4km | 0 |
| Total | 479.4p | 382p | ||
| Total Yearly | £1246.4 | £993.2 | ||
So, the monetised value of the reduction in greenhouse gas emission from 2023 to 2024 for commuting and homeworking is £1246.4 – £993.2 = £253.2.
This can be represented as a positive value to show the mitigation or reduction of carbon, although this should still not be added to an overall positive social value figure as this would mislead that this is positive value creation rather than negative value mitigation.
Gold+
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
In the Gold+ level of GHG emission values, you can focus on better management and improvement of your reporting on the GHG emissions.
The following steps could be useful:
- Set clear targets and a target date
- Provide resources to take the actions necessary to meet your target
Environmental Reporting Guidelines: In the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Guidance (SECR) there are two types of targets outlined:
- An absolute reduction target which compares absolute figures in the target year to the base year
- An intensity target based in an appropriate other unit or normalising factor (e.g. kgCO2e per km/miles driven)
For more information please visit Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting guidance (SECR).
The actions under Gold+ for the environmental values in MeasureUp are also in line with the eighth Principle of Social Value ‘Be Responsive’ which represents the imperative for organisations to respond to impact measurement or ‘Social Value accounts’ with action to improve positive impact and decrease negative impact. Users of this Standard will create a structured ‘impact management approach’ that can guide decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels to optimise impacts on wellbeing.
| Value Type: | Activity |
What's this?
This is the type of value. Some values are outcomes, which means many different interventions might lead to them, while others are specific interventions that have a set value. |
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| UN SDG Categories: |
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What's this?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are global goals adopted in 2015 for all signed up nations to achieve for us to have a sustainable global future by 2030. There are 17 Goals that address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. |
| 2020 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
PPN 06/20 Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts introduced the Central Government Social Value Model in 2020 which all Central Government contracting authorities must use in their in scope procurements. It consists of 5 themes, 8 policy outcomes, and 24 Model Award Criteria which outline key priority areas to achieve more social value. |
| 2025 Social Value Models: |
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Evidence
Measure Up focuses on empowering you to numerically measure the impact you’re having. We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.
We recommend seeing consent from one or more participants in your intervention to collect and tell their story. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of, and after, the intervention.
Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music, etc from creative interventions) can add more colour, and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.
In some cases it’s appropriate to anonymise or abbreviate the personal information of case study participants. No story should be published or shared without the recorded consent of the individual(s) it concerns. Individuals continue to own the rights to their stories and if they request you stop sharing the story or making it available online you should do so promptly and without need for justification.
Feedback
Measure Up is an open, collaborative and transparent. If you have any suggestions or feedback on our pragmatic, recommended approach to measuring and valuing social value, including wellbeing, economic, and fiscal impact, and effects on our environment, please get in touch so we can share and discuss this at our next Advisory Group meeting.
More help
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