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Amperecalc

Cost & footprint

Your footprint, in tonnes.

Most household climate decisions are small decisions with small effects — and two or three large ones with very large effects. This calculator sorts them by effect rather than by effort.

How we calculate

Calculation model

  1. 01

    For each domain, consumption is multiplied by its emission factor.

  2. 02

    Electricity uses the current German grid mix unless you specify green power.

  3. 03

    Flights are weighted with a radiative forcing factor that accounts for altitude effects.

  4. 04

    The measures list is sorted by kilograms of CO₂ saved per year, not by popularity.

Good to know

  • The German grid mix currently sits at about 380 g CO₂ per kilowatt hour and continues to fall.
  • The German per-capita average is around 10.5 t CO₂e per year; a climate-compatible level would be roughly 1 to 2 t.
  • About 2.5 t per person comes from public infrastructure and can hardly be influenced individually.

Law & subsidies

What applies in Switzerland

Regulation determines the limits and tariffs this calculator works with.

A carbon levy on fuels — with redistribution

Fossil fuels carry a steering levy. A large part flows back to the population through health insurance and pension contributions.

Show details

The levy is considerably higher than the German carbon price and makes heating oil and gas correspondingly more expensive. Households that burn little fossil fuel get back more than they pay in — that redistribution is the actual incentive.

For the heat pump calculation this means the cost advantage over gas or oil is structurally larger in Switzerland than in Germany, even though electricity costs about the same.

This compilation is orientation, not legal advice. Rules in this field change several times a year — check the linked primary source before you invest, or ask a certified specialist.
See all regulatory topics

Frequent questions

Answered briefly.

Why is my result higher than in other calculators?

Probably because we report the baseline for public infrastructure and weight flights for altitude effects. Both are standard practice, but not every calculator includes them.

Does green electricity actually help?

Only if it is tied to new generation capacity. Pure certificate products shift the accounting without changing anything physically. The calculator distinguishes the two cases.

What is the single most effective measure?

In almost every household, replacing the heating system, followed by switching to an electric vehicle at high mileage. Both beat any consumption decision by an order of magnitude.

Heat pump calculator

Running cost, investment, subsidy and payback in a direct comparison.

EV charging costs

At home, at a public charger, at a rapid charger — and against a combustion engine.

Rooftop PV calculator

Yield, self-sufficiency and return of a rooftop array over 25 years.

All results are model calculations based on your inputs and statistical reference data. They do not replace individual professional planning.

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