Welcome to the 2019 to 2020 National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting training video series.
This series is delivered by the Clean Energy Regulator and aims to help you report under
the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007, also known as the NGER Act.
This video will cover uncertainty under the NGER Act.
There is a range of terms used in this video that have a specific meaning, including Clean
Energy Regulator, NGER, Determination, NGER Act, and EERS.
To learn what each of these means, please refer to the video ‘Introduction to the
Clean Energy Regulator and NGER’, from the NGER training video series, available by following
the links at the end of this video.
What is uncertainty?
Uncertainty can be described as the amount of variation in a numerical result consistent
with observations.
Statistical uncertainty, as measured under NGER legislation, accounts for the level of
uncertainty that may be attributed to sampling and statistical variation.
What is uncertainty used for?
The uncertainty data provided under NGER legislation will help inform the uncertainty estimates
published in Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts, including:
meeting Australia's reporting commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change; tracking progress against Australia’s targets
under various international agreements; and informing policymakers.
The uncertainty data can also assist corporations in understanding the uncertainties associated
with their emission estimates, informing their allocation of resources and their choice of
methods under the NGER legislation.
It is important to note that, while we can disclose reported uncertainty data to other
government bodies, for purposes such as policy development, it is not published annually
under section 24 of the NGER Act.
Under section 19, 22G or 22X of the NGER Act, an NGER reporter must include the amount of
uncertainty associated with scope 1 emissions at a facility for scope 1 emissions from fuel
combustion from a single fuel type (such as diesel) that are 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalence or more, and scope 1 emissions for sources other than fuel combustion that
are 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalence or more.
Uncertainty is required to be assessed in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Determination.
Part 8.3 of the Determination sets out how to assess uncertainty where method 1 is used
to estimate scope 1 emissions.
Part 8.4 of the NGER Measurement Determination sets out the requirements for assessing uncertainty
where method 2, 3 or 4 is used to estimate scope 1 emissions.
Method 1 uses default statistical uncertainty levels, that are either aggregated uncertainty
levels or uncertainty levels for parameters needed to calculate the emissions, such as
energy content or emission factor.
It also allows for uncertainty levels to be determined in accordance with the ‘GHG Protocol
guidance on uncertainty assessment in GHG inventories and calculating statistical parameter
uncertainty’, known as the ‘Uncertainty Protocol’.
Generally, the uncertainties estimated under methods 2, 3, and 4 are likely to be lower
than those calculated under method 1.
This indicates that the emissions estimated using the higher methods are more accurate
than those estimated under method 1.
The main reason for this is that in method 1, default emission factors are used instead
of emission factors that have been measured and estimated specifically for the facility
under method 2, 3 or 4.
Estimating emission factors under Method 2, 3 or 4 requires direct analysis of the fuel
giving a much more accurate estimation of the carbon content of fuels and hence the
associated emissions.
Uncertainty values must be reported in EERS along with your other emissions and energy
data.
The following section will demonstrate how to report uncertainty using EERS.
To report uncertainty in EERS, click on the 'Data Entry' tab and then click on the 'Report
Uncertainty' button to the bottom left of the screen.
The ‘Facility Uncertainty’ reporting screen will appear.
This shows all sources and fuels that exceed the uncertainty reporting threshold for each
facility.
The Facility Uncertainty reporting screen includes an ‘Auto-calculate’ function
where method 1 has been used to estimate scope 1 emissions.
When selected, the ‘Auto-calculate’ function calculates uncertainty using default values
from the Determination for the fuel type or source.
Reporters can choose which method 1 fuel or source items they want to exclude from auto-calculation
by unselecting the relevant auto-calculate tick box.
Note that the auto-calculate function will only be available where only method 1 was
used to estimate emissions for the fuel and source item.
To return to the Reporting Entity Information screen, click the 'Exit' button.
To enter, modify or remove any reported uncertainty value, click the edit symbol in the 'User
input' column.
This will open the ’Add/modify entry—Uncertainty’ screen.
On this screen, reporters can manually enter the uncertainty related to the fuel or source
in the 'Uncertainty Percentage' field on the left-hand side of the screen.
Reporters may choose to use the agency’s Uncertainty Calculator to calculate and report
uncertainty in accordance with the Determination.
It should be noted that it is not compulsory to use the Uncertainty Calculator.
Reporters may use their own method, in line with the requirements of the Determination.
This video is from the 2019 to 2020 NGER training video series.
This series aims to help you in your obligations to report under the NGER Act.
To access these videos, visit our website at www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au.
After accessing the Our systems – logins and guidance tab, click Learn more under the
Emissions and Energy Reporting System subheading, then on the sidebar, navigate to Tools to
assist you, then Training videos.
These videos are supplemented by written guidance documents, also available on the Clean Energy
Regulator website.
After accessing the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting tab, click on Forms and resources,
then on Guides and factsheets in the sidebar.
These documents give more technical or specialised insight into a wide range of specific topics
around reporting under NGER and using EERS.
We also provide calculators to support reporters, available on our website through the National
Greenhouse and Energy Reporting tab under Forms and Resources.
These calculators help reporters produce accurate NGER reports, and include those for assessing
corporate reporting obligations, estimating uncertainty in emissions, and estimating emissions
from solid waste and wastewater operations.
For more information or help with reporting under the NGER scheme, please contact us by
calling 1300 553 542, emailing us at reporting@cer.gov.au or visiting our website at www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au.
This video has been developed by the Clean Energy Regulator to assist persons to comply
with their reporting obligations under the NGER Act for the 2019 to 2020 reporting period.
This video should be viewed in conjunction with the NGER Act and supporting Regulations
and Determination.
Changes to legislation may affect the information in this video.
The examples used in this video are for illustrative purposes only, this video is not intended
to provide legal advice.
If persons have concerns or questions about the application of legislation in their particular
circumstances, they should seek professional advice.