# Is switching from a coal or oil boiler to an electric boiler a green loan project?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/green-loan-electric-boiler-switch-readiness

It can be, but show the numbers both ways. Fuel emissions disappear from Scope 1, while electricity adds Scope 2 at 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh on the Indian grid. With grid power alone the net cut may be small or negative; with solar or green open access it is large.

## Before the project

- Fuel invoices and boiler log for 12 months.
- Steam or heat output, if metered.

## After the project

- Electricity bills including the new load.
- Renewable supply contract or solar generation log, if used.

## What lenders look for

An honest net figure. Lenders and reviewers check that the project lowers total emissions, not just moves them from Scope 1 to Scope 2.

## Worked example

- Furnace oil boiler: 4,000 L a month x 2.97 kg = 11.9 t CO2
- Electric boiler for the same heat: about 40,000 kWh x 0.710 kg = 28.4 t CO2 on grid power
- With green open access power: Scope 2 market-based falls close to zero

Illustrative. Work out heat demand from your own steam records.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible measures your baseline from your own bills before the project and keeps measuring after it, so the saving you show a lender comes from documents, not a brochure. Lenders decide on the loan.

- [Electric vs gas boiler emissions](https://senseible.earth/answers/electric-boiler-vs-gas-boiler-emissions-india)
- [Heat pumps for process heat](https://senseible.earth/answers/heat-pump-for-process-heat-india)

Sources: [Loan Market Association, Green Loan and Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles](https://www.lma.eu.com), [Bureau of Energy Efficiency](https://beeindia.gov.in), [CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.