The UK remains one of Europe’s biggest contributors to residential greenhouse gas emissions, ranking second only to Germany, according to the latest analysis from epIMS, the EPC and energy efficiency platform for landlords. While the UK has managed an annual emissions reduction of -7.2%, it still emits an estimated 55.3m tonnes of CO2e per year, trailing only Germany’s 77m tonnes.
epIMS analysed 2023 data from 30 European nations, assessing both total emissions and reductions achieved between 2022 and 2023. Across the continent, only five nations saw an increase in emissions: Estonia (+13%), Spain (+5.3%), Norway (+4.2%), Bulgaria (+2.4%), and Cyprus (+0.5%). Meanwhile, Malta led the way with a -33.8% reduction, followed by Austria (-17.7%), the Netherlands (-14.8%), Hungary (-13.4%), and Iceland (-12.1%).
The UK ranked 11th for the most successful reduction in emissions, matching Germany (-7.2%) and outperforming France (-6.6%), Denmark (-2.2%), and Belgium (-1%). However, the overall carbon footprint of UK homes remains substantial, with only Germany producing more residential emissions. Italy ranks third (41.1m tonnes), followed by France (32.7m tonnes), Poland (30.3m tonnes), and Spain (16.9m tonnes). Iceland (817 tonnes), Malta (42,290 tonnes), Estonia (178,791 tonnes), Sweden (304,283 tonnes), and Norway (320,161 tonnes) recorded the lowest emissions from residential property.
Craig Cooper, COO of epIMS, said: “The UK’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our homes has resulted in an admirable reduction in emissions, but it’s important to note that a good measure of what has been achieved so far has come from the decarbonisation of the electric grid as it switches over to renewable energies – an easy win, you could say.
“Once this initial benefit has been felt, it will be interesting to see whether the initial reduction in our bricks and mortar carbon footprint continues, however, this is unlikely if we don’t look to put in the hard yards with respect to improving the energy efficiency of our homes at base level.
“To that end, the mandatory EPC rating of C for private rented properties that the government is planning to introduce from 2030 should set a strong precedent and help drive continued change, but it’s fair to say that we could be doing more in encouraging such practices across the market as a whole, not just within the private rental sector.”
