How do I work out the cold chain emissions per vaccine dose?
Add the electricity for walk-in coolers and freezers, refrigerated transport fuel and refrigerant top-ups for the period, then divide by doses handled. Refrigerant leaks can matter more than power, because common refrigerants have global warming potentials in the thousands.
The three parts
- Cold room and freezer electricity, from sub-meters or the bill share.
- Reefer van or truck diesel.
- Refrigerant recharged in the year, by gas type.
Divide carefully
Use doses actually stored or moved, and keep ultra-cold storage separate if you run it, since it draws far more power per dose.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads quantities, dates and units from your bills and invoices and shows the factor and source used on every line.
Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, IPCC AR6 WG1, global warming potentials
Last reviewed 2026-10-22.