The Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) are the industry-standard methodologies for calculating the environmental impact of hotel stays and meetings.
By using these calculators on BeCause, you can ensure your sustainability data is consistent, transparent, and aligned with global hospitality standards (including Scope 1, 2, and outsourced laundry for Scope 3).
How to use the HCMI Calculator
Follow these steps to complete your carbon footprint calculation. The interface will guide you through five key stages: Basics, Energy Consumption, Outsourced Laundry, Refrigerants, and Results.
Access the Calculator
Navigate to the left sidebar and select Data Collection > Calculators.
Click Create Calculator on the HCMI/HWMI option.
Name your calculation (e.g., "Carbon Footprint - 2026") and select your reporting period.
Step 1: Basics & Property Details
In this section, you set the foundation for your intensity metrics.
Property Details: Select your country and enter the total number of guest rooms vs. occupied rooms.
Areas: Define your floor area units (Square meters or feet).
Space Breakdown: Enter the total area for guest rooms/corridors, conditioned space, and meeting facilities.
Step 2: Energy Consumption
Here you input the energy sources used on-site.
Add Energy Types: Use the dropdown to select sources like Purchased Electricity (Grid) or Fuel Oil.
Emission Factors: By default, the system uses standard emission factors to calculate your kg CO2e, but you can also add your own.
Vehicles & Equipment: You can choose to manually enter fuel amounts or use a simple estimate (typically 1% of total emissions).
Market-based renewable electricity: If you want to include renewable energy purchases, you can add those as well.
Step 3: Outsourced Laundry
Since laundry is a significant source of indirect emissions, the calculator provides three ways to report:
Direct Reporting: Enter data provided by your supplier.
Weight-based: Estimate based on the tonnage of laundry.
Occupancy-based: Use the system’s estimate based on your occupied rooms (this will automatically calculate estimated kWh and Liters).
Step 4: Refrigerants (Leakage)
Report any refrigerant top-ups or leaks during the year.
Select the Refrigerant Type (e.g., R-410A).
Enter the amount in kg. The system will automatically calculate the CO2-equivalent emissions (tonnes) based on the gas's Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Understanding Your Results
Once all steps are completed (marked by green checkmarks in the progress bar), you can view your Results dashboard.
Carbon Intensity Metrics
The calculator breaks down your footprint into easy-to-digest intensity figures:
CO2e per occupied room: Your footprint per guest night.
CO2e per meeting area: Your footprint per square meter/hour for events.
CO2e per floor area: Your annual footprint per square meter of the building.
Carbon Footprint Breakdown
The results are further categorized by Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (indirect energy), and Partial Scope 3 (outsourced laundry), giving you a clear view of where your emissions originate.
Pro Tip: Look for the red asterisks (*). Every field marked in red is mandatory. Once the red indicator disappears, the section is successfully validated.
Finalizing Your Data
When you are satisfied with the entries, click Mark as completed in the right-hand Summary sidebar to lock the report for the period.
Please note: By marking a calculator completed, the data will automatically streamline into any framework you are collecting/reporting data on within the platform.
Using the HWMI Calculator
The Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) is the global standard for measuring and reporting water consumption in the hotel industry. This guide walks you through the 6-step process on BeCause to calculate your water footprint and intensity metrics.
Step 1: Basics
Set your core property data and measurement units.
Property details: Enter the total number of guest rooms, total guests, and the number of occupied rooms for the reporting period.
Areas: Select your floor area unit (Square meters or feet) and provide the total area for the hotel, guest rooms, and meeting rooms.
Water unit: Choose your preferred measurement unit, such as Cubic metres (m3), Litres (L), or Gallons.
Step 2: Consumption (water)
Identify and report your primary water sources.
Water Sources: Tick all applicable sources, such as Metered municipal water, On-site desalinated water, or District chilled water.
Amount: Enter the total consumption for each selected source in your chosen units.
Step 3: Outsourced Laundry
Account for the water used by third-party laundry services.
Reporting Methods: If your laundry is outsourced, you can report water used by your supplier directly (recommended) or use an estimate based on laundry weight or occupied rooms.
Step 4: Unmetered Sources
Include water drawn from ground or surface sources.
Sanitation (toilets): Report unmetered water used in bathrooms. You can provide the total amount or estimate it based on the number of toilets and industry averages.
Irrigation (grounds): Report water used for landscaping. You can manually add the total or estimate based on the total area of irrigated outside space.
Step 5: Private Space
Account for areas not used by guests or meeting attendees.
Reporting: If you operate private spaces, you can report the water consumption directly or estimate it based on the floor area of those spaces.
Your HWMI Results
Once you reach Step 6: Results, the platform generates a comprehensive breakdown of your annual water performance.
Water Intensity
See how efficiently your property uses water through three key metrics:
Water per occupied room: Calculated as units/occ room/day.
Water per guest: Calculated as units/guest/day.
Water per floor area: Calculated as units/guest/day.
Water Footprint & Usage
Total water used: A complete total for the year.
Water usage breakdown: A percentage view of how much water is spent on guest rooms versus meeting rooms (e.g., 33.33% vs 66.67%).
Withdrawal details: View total water withdrawn with and without private space deductions.
Final Step: Review your summary in the right-hand sidebar and click Mark as completed to finalize your report.
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