WATER-ENERGY GREENHOUSE GAS GUIDANCE PILOT –
OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT
COOL PLANET
Nearly eight percent of California’s electricity consumption is associated with water and wastewater operations,
resulting in both a significant portion of California’s energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Optimal
management and conservation of water across the complete water use cycle will help reduce emissions, but
transparent methodologies designed to measure, account for, and track these emissions have not yet been available.
To address this need, The Climate Registry (TCR) developed the Water-Energy GHG (WEG) Guidance, a new
methodology to quantify, compare, and analyze the GHG emissions embedded in delivered water, as part of the
Cool Planet Project with support from Southern California Edison (SCE) in 2015. Reporting the WEG intensity
metrics provides water suppliers, their customers, funders, and the public with a clear means to quantify, compare,
and analyze the GHG emissions embedded in delivered water using consistent and transparent methodology.
As a follow-up to the WEG Guidance development, TCR and SCE are now announcing an innovative pilot to
beta-test the WEG Guidance with customers in the SCE service territory. Using the WEG Guidance, water
suppliers participating in TCR’s voluntary program will have the opportunity to learn about the WEG Guidance
and will have the opportunity to report one or more WEG intensity metrics alongside their GHG inventory.
The WEG Guidance pilot will beta-test the Guidance during the 2016 reporting cycle as a valuable reporting tool
for SCE business customers. Participating SCE customers in the pilot will be the first to use the Guidance to
report WEG intensity metrics that measure the GHG footprint of a unit volume of delivered water, and will
benefit from being the first to explore how their water resource operations can be optimized to enhance their
GHG emission reductions.
Additional benefits of participating:
x Demonstrating leadership as one of the first to report TCR’s WEG intensity metrics;
x Collaboration with peer organizations also reporting TCR’s WEG intensity metrics;
x Dedicated TCR staff support to help ensure TCR’s forthcoming WEG spreadsheet reporting tool
meets your needs; and,
x Recognition at the 2016 Cool Planet award ceremony for leadership in GHG accounting.
MARCH-MAY 2016
JUNE-AUGUST 2016
AUGUST-NOVEMBER 2016
Á
MAY- AUGUST 2016
TIMELINE
TASK Á
Recruit pilot participants and launch pilot
TCR and participants work together to report
2015 emissions and collect additional emissions
and water delivery data
TCR develops spreadsheet reporting tool with
input from participants
Finalize reporting tool & calculate
WEG intensity metrics
With support from TCR, water suppliers participating in the pilot will:
x Participate in one introductory webinar, and have the option to attend three workshops with other
participants to learn about the WEG Guidance and discuss common challenges, and one-on-one data
gathering meetings with TCR staff as needed;
x Report a complete 2015 inventory in the Climate Registry Information System (CRIS);
x Report WEG Metric A and, if possible, optional WEG Metrics B and C (see table);
x Utilize and provide feedback on draft WEG reporting spreadsheet tool developed by TCR.
The following table describes the WEG metrics:
REFERENCE
METRIC
REPORTING REQUIREMENT
WEG METRIC
A - Basic System Average
Minimum requirement
B - Overall System Average
Optional
C - Product-Specific Average
Optional
A
WEG METRIC
B
WEG METRIC
C
About TCR
UNITS
Metric tons GHG /
Acre-foot of total
delivered water
Metric ton GHG /
Acre-foot of total
delivered water
Metric ton GHG /
Acre-foot of product-specific
delivered water
TCR is a non-profit organization governed by U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories. TCR designs
and operates voluntary and compliance GHG reporting programs globally and assists organizations in measuring,
reporting, and verifying the GHGs in their operations. TCR developed and continues to maintain the reporting
and verification guidance that underpins the largest voluntary corporate GHG reporting program in North
America. Through leading consensus-based multi-stakeholder processes, TCR has developed sector-specific
protocols and guidance for local government operations, the electric power sector, the oil and gas exploration
and production sector, transit agencies, small businesses, and water agencies in partnership with corporations,
governments, non-profits, and regualtory agencies.
About Cool Planet
The Cool Planet Project, administered in partnership with SCE, provides eligible SCE business customers
memerbship into TCR to access the tools to calculate, verify, and publicly report their GHG footprint as a
reward for participating in demand response and/or installing energy efficiency projects.
Visit www.theclimateregistry.org to learn more about the Cool Planet Project.
Contact us to learn more about
the WEG Guidance pilot project:
J E NN A J ORNS
jjorns@theclimateregistry.org
213.784.4165
The Cool Planet program provides utility business customers with education and technical training to measure and manage their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The Cool Planet
program is funded by California utility rate payers and administered under the auspices of the
California Public Utilities Commission, through a contract awarded to The Climate Registry.
California customers who choose to participate in this program are not obligated to purchase
any additional services offered by the contractor. This program is offered on a first-come, firstserved basis from 2/1/2013-12/31/2016 or until funds are depleted. Terms and conditions apply.
The trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.