{"id":1277,"date":"2024-11-05T10:42:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T10:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessenergyuk.com\/?p=1277"},"modified":"2025-09-04T09:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T09:26:42","slug":"energy-efficiency-in-uk-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessenergyuk.com\/knowledge-hub\/energy-efficiency-in-uk-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"The British Cities With the Least Energy-Efficient Buildings"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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Buildings are the <\/span>largest global contributor<\/span><\/a> of greenhouse gas emissions. Heating, cooling and powering buildings release <\/span>28%<\/span><\/a> of all global energy-related carbon emissions \u2014 making a total of 39% when you include materials and construction. Carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions trap the sun\u2019s heat, leading to climate change and <\/span>environmental catastrophe<\/span><\/a>. Carbon gas emissions also contribute to the development of respiratory diseases and other health issues. <\/span><\/p><\/p>\n \n \"\"\n\n

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In the UK, around 17%<\/a> of greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. Despite improvements over recent decades, progress \u201cremains broadly insufficient to ensure that the buildings sector reaches zero emissions by 2050,\u201d according to the government\u2019s independent advisers, the Climate Change Committee.<\/p>\n

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But the choices society makes continue to prioritise financial interests, with big building and renovation projects frequently greenwashed<\/a> and eco laws circumvented<\/a>. \u201cIt’s not the time to be neutral about the fate of the planet,\u201d environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin told the RIBA Built Environment Summit<\/a>, encouraging architects to work alongside businesses in building and maintaining more efficient buildings. \u201cOur role is not just to service whatever clients want, it\u2019s also to educate clients and educate ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For our latest data study, Business Energy UK<\/a> has calculated the average carbon emissions from residential, business and public premises in Britain\u2019s biggest cities to see which cities have the most and least energy-efficient buildings.<\/p>\n

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What We Did<\/h2>\n

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We used official energy certificate data for England, Wales and Scotland to determine the average CO2 emissions in kg\/m2 per year for residential, commercial and public buildings in each city with a population over 100k. We then ranked these cities by their average emissions per square metre in each category and overall. Scottish cities were omitted from the public building and overall rankings as public building data was unavailable.<\/p>\n

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Key Findings<\/h3>\n

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