The world is changing, and this is prompting many of us to change the way that we behave. Whether we are opting for a plastic-free lifestyle where possible or switching to an electric car, there are plenty of options for us to make.
Here at PASSfm, we wanted to know which UK cities are the most energy-conscious, and the results may surprise you.
Methodology
Using Google’s Keyword Planner, we analysed location data for ‘energy saving’ and ‘electric car’, using the time period of ‘all time’. We calculated the percentage by dividing the number of impressions by the latest population data for each area and multiplying this by 100.
The results were then ranked from the highest percentage of searches to the lowest, with 148 locations for ‘energy saving’ and 164 for ‘electric car’.
Top 5 Energy-Saving Cities
Saving energy is not only good for the environment but is also good for your wallet. Instead of racking up electricity bills, you can cut costs by switching off unnecessary lights and appliances. It seems that some UK locations know this better than others, with Harrogate residents coming out on top.
4.14% of Harrogate residents searched for ‘energy saving’, suggesting that they are the more energy-aware in the UK. They were closely followed by Wainfleet all Saints with 3.83% searches. Woodbridge, Stirling, and Caerphilly bring up the top five locations.
Bottom 5 Energy-Saving Cities
As part of our research, we also uncovered the five UK locations with a lower search percentage. It could be that these locations already have the structures in place to support a more energy-conscious lifestyle or that they are searching for advice and tips in other ways.
We discovered that Chester and Canterbury have the lowest percentage, with just 0.01% of their populations searching for ‘energy saving’. Newport and Salford come in 3rd and 4th with 0.02% of searches. Chelmsford claims the 5th position with 0.04%.
Top 5 Cities for Electric Cars
The UK government has pledged to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 - and Enniskillen residents are the most proactive in helping the UK reach its electric vehicle targets. In fact, Ireland is featured three times in the top five cities - showing that the country is ahead of the curve on electric car desirability and usage.
Transport accounts for approximately 1 quarter of CO2 emissions across the globe, so a reduction in these levels would be a huge contributor to the slowing down of global warming.
Bottom 5 Cities for Electric Cars
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Newport, Chester & Canterbury are amongst the places where the population is searching for electric cars the least. Only 0.10% of Newport residents have electric cars on their radar, which is incredibly low when compared to Enniskillen with 12.58% of people searching.
The current plan in place by the UK government is that sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned by 2040, meaning that electric cars will be the future for the UK whether people want them or not - so these 5 places are likely to get the biggest shock.
Living a more energy-conscious lifestyle
Living an energy-conscious lifestyle doesn’t have to be daunting and it doesn’t have to happen all at once either. Our everyday lifestyle is heavily influenced by the habits that we create and continue, both proactively and subconsciously. So incrementally developing habits that are better for the environment is a great way to start to make a change for the better.
Because we’re electrical contractors we don’t feel like we’re in the area of expertise to make a comment on activities such as recycling or using shampoo bars, but we do want to share what we know about environmentally conscious energy-consumption:
Opt For an Eco-Friendly Heat Source
One of the best home heating methods for the environment is solar thermal energy, whereby the thermal solar panels use heat from the sun to boil water in an entirely clean way. If you have the money to invest, this is a guilt-free way of consuming energy, and can actually save you money in the long-run.
More accessible home heating options are simply using a boiler or heat pump - if you have an electric boiler this replaces the need for gas pipes or oil, as does a heat pump. Making them both a preferable option for the environment.
Replace Petrol and Diesel Vehicles with Electric
As our study has advocated, we’re passionate about electric vehicles and the green future they can provide us. Of course it’s easy to say ‘buy an electric car’, but we want to tell you actually why they’re such an improvement on.
Normal cars run on a ‘combusting fuel source’ which is where a heat reaction occurs to produce H2O and CO2, it’s this burning of fossil fuels that produces the large amounts of carbon dioxide that are dangerous for the environment and lead to climate change.
Electric cars on the other hand are run on batteries, meaning that the emissions are around 17 – 30% lower than driving a petrol or diesel car. Every electric car on the road saves an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2 - that’s the same as 8 flights from London to Spain.
Commute Smarter
Energy-consciousness is all about a smarter and cleaner way of living - and naturally this involves some lifestyle changes that are going to benefit your health as well. For example, swapping your car journey to the office for a bike ride. Or if you’re not ready for such a drastic change, just taking the train, tram or bus can massively reduce your carbon footprint.
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