Skip to content
Contact us
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

How to Navigate Your Audit Report

The audit report is designed to give you full visibility into how your carbon inventory has been calculated. This article explains what’s included, how to interpret the formulas, and where to find assumptions.

What’s in your audit report download

When you download the audit report, you get a zip folder with two CSV files:

  • Activity file: calculations based on activity data (e.g. kWh, km, nights, litres, kg) from your data collection forms, employee engagement surveys and manual entries.
  • Spending file: calculations based on spend data from your accounting system. It has different columns because spend needs currency and inflation adjustments.

Use both files together to see your total emissions. Each row is one calculation: its inputs, the emissions factor applied and the result.

Key columns in the Activity file

Where the emissions sit
  • Scope and Category: where the line sits in the GHG Protocol (e.g. Scope 2, Electricity).
  • Emission Factor Type and Emission Factor Label: the type of activity and the factor applied. For electricity, this also includes location-based from market-based (see below).
  • Location and Emission Factor Location: the site or premise the data relates to, and the region the emissions factor applies to - often blank if not location-specific.
  • Calculated Emissions (kg CO2e): the result for that line. Divide by 1,000 for tonnes.
  • Emission Offset: No for gross emissions lines, Yes for carbon neutral lines (see below).

How it was calculated

  • All Input Data and Input 1 to Input 5: the inputs used in the calculation, e.g. usage in kWh and period. All Input Data shows them as labelled text, and Input 1 to 5 split them into separate columns. See: Understanding "Input Columns" in the Audit Report
  • Emissions Factor Value (kg CO2e) and EF unit: the factor and the unit it applies to.
  • Emission Factor Source and Source Details: where the factor comes from, including the factor date and any reference material.
  • Data Source: how the data got into Trace (e.g. direct entry to platform, termed Data Collection [DC] Form, Employee Engagement, Manual [added on Trace backend]).

Assumptions and notes

  • Assumption Source: the reference used where an assumption was applied (e.g. electricity consumption for work-from-home staff).
  • Note: flags where data was estimated because complete information wasn’t provided.
  • Missed Periods Explanation and Comments: explanations of data gaps (e.g. a missing bill) and any other comments added to the line.

Key columns in the Spending file

The Spending file has the same Scope, Category, Emission Factor, Calculated Emissions and Emission Offset columns. It also includes:

  • Input Spend, Input Spend Currency and Period: the spend you provided.
  • Account Name and Supplier Name: the general ledger account and supplier behind each line.
  • Emission Factor Source, EF Factor Date and EF unit: the spend-based factor and where it comes from.
  • Average Currency Conversion Rate for EF, EF Year CPI, Measurement Period CPI and Spend Inflation Adjustment Ratio: the currency and inflation adjustments applied to your spend. See: Inflation in spend-based emissions calculations.

How to use the audit report for your own analysis

If you're looking to anlayse the raw data, there are a couple of steps to follow to ensure your totals match what's in Trace.

How to get the total you need

Step 1: Decide whether you want gross or net emissions

The Activity file includes carbon neutral calculations in the same file as your gross emissions. A single emission source (e.g. electricity at one office) can therefore appear on more than one line.

  • Emission Offset = No: your gross emissions. Filter to this if you want gross emissions only.
  • Emission Offset = Yes: the carbon neutral calculation for that source.
    • If you have carbon neutral emissions, the line shows a non-zero value.
    • If you don’t, the line shows 0, because Trace doesn’t count any emissions as carbon neutral.

For more on the difference, see What is the difference between gross emissions and net emissions?

Step 2: Decide whether you want location-based or market-based electricity

If both location-based and market-based electricity have been calculated in Trace, both are pulled into the Activity file. Adding them together will overstate your electricity emissions. Use the Emission Factor Type column to tell them apart:

  • Electricity (label: Grid average electricity): location-based.
  • Residual mix factor (market based) (label: Residual mix factor): market-based.

To see only one method, filter out the other or delete those rows before you total the file. For how the two methods differ and which applies to you, see Does Trace use the location- or market-based methodology for electricity calculations?

Step 3: Total both files

Sum Calculated Emissions (kg CO2e) in the Activity file after filtering, then add the total from the Spending file, filtered on Emission Offset in the same way.

How to check a calculation

Multiply the inputs and the emissions factor, then compare the result with Calculated Emissions:

(Input 1 to Input 5, multiplied together) × Emissions Factor Value = Calculated Emissions (kg CO2e)

Market-based lines also list certificate inputs (provider and independent certificates). The renewable electricity they cover is deducted from usage before the factor is applied.

⚠️Key points

  • Do not total the whole column. Without filtering, the total can include location-based and market-based electricity, and carbon neutral lines.
  • Deleting vs filtering. If you delete rows, keep a copy of the original download so you can reconcile back to your dashboard.
  • Blank Location values. Some lines (e.g. extrapolated survey results) won’t show a site name.

AASB S2 Considerations

AASB S2 requires location-based Scope 2 emissions, with market-based and contractual instrument information as supporting disclosure. Carbon neutral claims are not deducted from gross emissions. Filtering the audit report to Emission Offset = No gives you gross emissions, and the Emission Factor Type filter gives you the location-based electricity figure. The Emission Factor Source, Source Details and Assumption Source columns also give your auditor the evidence trail for each factor and assumption.