Getting Started with Carbon GPT

Welcome to Carbon GPT! This guide will help you set up your account and start measuring your organization's carbon footprint quickly and efficiently.

Quick Start Guide

Follow these steps to get up and running with Carbon GPT:

1. Create your account - Sign up at app.carbongpt.ai
2. Set up your organization profile - Add your company details and industry information
3. Define your organizational boundaries - Determine which facilities and operations to include
4. Add your first emission source - Start with a simple source like electricity consumption
5. Generate your first report - See your initial carbon footprint calculation

First-time Setup Checklist

• [ ] Account credentials created
• [ ] Organization profile completed
• [ ] Team members invited (if applicable)
• [ ] Organizational boundaries defined
• [ ] At least one emission source added
• [ ] Initial report generated

Video Walkthrough

Common Initial Tasks

• Inviting team members
• Setting up emission templates
• Exploring the AI assistant

Setting Up Your Account

Account Creation

1. Navigate to app.carbongpt.ai
2. Click "Sign Up" and enter your email address
3. Create a secure password
4. Verify your email address
5. Complete your user profile

Basic Configuration

1. Organization Details

   • Company name
   • Industry sector
   • Number of employees
   • Annual revenue range (optional)

2. Locations

   • Headquarters
   • Additional facilities
   • Operating regions

3. Reporting Period

   • Financial year or calendar year
   • Reporting frequency

Team Setup

1. Inviting Team Members

   • Click "Settings" > "Team Management"
   • Select "Invite User"
   • Enter email addresses and assign roles
   • Customize invitation message (optional)

2. Role Assignment

   • Administrator: Full system access
   • Manager: Can add/edit data and generate reports
   • Contributor: Can add/edit specific data
   • Viewer: Read-only access to reports and dashboards

Initial Preferences

1. Notification Settings

   • Report completion alerts
   • Data submission reminders
   • System updates

2. Display Preferences

   • Default dashboard view
   • Measurement units (metric/imperial)
   • Currency settings

Understanding Your Data Needs

Required Data Types

Carbon GPT supports two primary methods of data entry:

1. Spend-based data

   • Financial information on purchases
   • Supplier invoices
   • Procurement records

2. Activity-based data

   • Energy consumption (kWh, therms, etc.)
   • Fuel usage (liters, gallons, etc.)
   • Distance traveled (miles, kilometers)
   • Material quantities (kg, tons, etc.)

Data Sources

Common sources of emissions data include:

• Utility bills
• Fuel receipts
• Travel records
• Procurement systems
• Building management systems
• Fleet management software
• Supplier reports

Collection Methods

Carbon GPT offers multiple ways to collect data:

1. Manual entry - Input data directly into the platform
2. Bulk upload - Import data using Excel templates
3. Data requests - Send forms to colleagues or suppliers

Quality Standards

For accurate carbon accounting, ensure your data is:

• Complete - Covering all relevant activities
• Accurate - Free from errors and approximations
• Consistent - Using the same methodologies over time
• Transparent - Well-documented and verifiable
• Relevant - Appropriate to your organization's activities

Defining Your Boundaries

Organizational Boundaries

Determine which entities and operations to include in your carbon accounting:

Control Approaches

• Operational Control - Include emissions from operations you control
• Financial Control - Include emissions from entities you financially control

Equity Share Considerations

• Account for emissions according to your equity share in joint ventures
• Document partial ownership arrangements
• Establish consistent treatment of investments

Operational Boundaries

Determine which emission sources to include:

Scope Classification

• Scope 1 - Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources
• Scope 2 - Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling
• Scope 3 - All other indirect emissions in your value chain

Activity Identification

1. Map your organization's activities
2. Categorize activities by scope
3. Prioritize significant emission sources
4. Document excluded activities and justification

Connecting to Data Sources

Available Integrations

Carbon GPT can connect to various systems:

• Accounting software
• Energy management systems
• Travel booking platforms
• Fleet management software
• Procurement systems

Manual Data Entry

For organizations without integrated systems:

1. Navigate to "Emission Sources"
2. Select "Add New Source"
3. Choose the source category
4. Enter activity data
5. Save and calculate emissions

Data Validation

Carbon GPT automatically validates your data:

• Identifies outliers and anomalies
• Flags missing information
• Suggests corrections
• Provides data quality scores

Importing Existing Data

Supported Formats

• Excel (.xlsx, .xls)
• CSV files

Import Guidelines

1. Download the appropriate template
2. Fill in your data following the format guidelines
3. Upload the completed file
4. Review and confirm the import
5. Address any validation errors

Data Mapping

When importing from existing systems:

1. Map your data fields to Carbon GPT fields
2. Set up transformation rules if needed
3. Save your mapping for future imports

Validation Rules

Your imported data will be checked against:

• Format requirements
• Value ranges
• Completeness rules
• Logical consistency

Your First Report

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Navigate to "Reports" section
2. Select "Create New Report"
3. Choose report type (e.g., GHG Inventory)
4. Select reporting period
5. Choose included facilities/activities
6. Generate report
7. Review and export results

Data Collection

Before generating your first report:

1. Ensure at least one emission source is added
2. Verify data completeness for your reporting period
3. Address any validation warnings

Report Generation

Carbon GPT offers several report types:

• GHG Inventory Summary
• Emissions by Scope
• Emissions by Facility
• Emissions by Activity
• Trend Analysis (once you have multiple periods)

Result Interpretation

Understanding your first report:

• Total emissions in tCO2e
• Breakdown by scope
• Highest emission sources
• Comparison to industry benchmarks (if available)
• Suggested reduction opportunities

Carbon GPT for Onboarding

AI-Assisted Setup

Our AI assistant can help with:

• Recommending relevant emission sources for your industry
• Suggesting appropriate organizational boundaries
• Identifying potential data sources
• Answering common setup questions

Automated Suggestions

As you use the system, Carbon GPT will:

• Suggest missing emission sources
• Recommend templates for recurring activities
• Identify potential data quality issues
• Propose efficiency improvements

Data Validation

The AI helps ensure data quality by:

• Comparing entries to industry benchmarks
• Identifying unusual patterns or outliers
• Suggesting corrections for potential errors
• Estimating missing data points

Best Practices

Our AI assistant can provide:

• Industry-specific guidance
• Regulatory compliance tips
• Data collection strategies
• Reporting recommendations

Ready to get started? Sign up now or contact our support team for assistance.