With the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in full swing for the next two weeks, the latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, has revealed which cities here in the UK are currently the most sustainable for homebuyers looking to improve their carbon footprint.
Regency Living analysed data on the CO2 equivalent emissions* per capita across the UK’s major cities to reveal which rank as the most sustainable before also looking at the average price of a home to reveal where homebuyers can get an affordable foot on the property ladder whilst also doing their bit for the planet.
The latest figures show that across the UK, we release 375,929.3 kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent (kt CO2e) on an annual basis. With an estimated population of 67.6bn, that equates to an average of 5.6 tonnes of CO2e emissions per capita.
Of the 19 major UK cities analysed by Regency Living, Brighton ranks top, with just 2.9 tonnes of CO2e emissions released per capita on an annual basis.
Whilst London generated by far the largest CO2e footprint, it’s also home to by far the largest population of the cities analysed by Regency Living and, as a result, ranks as the second most sustainable with 3.2 tonnes of CO2e released per capita—closely followed by Bristol, at 3.3 tonnes of CO2e released per capita.
However, each of these cities are home to significantly inflated property prices, with the average house price sitting at £423,274, £531,212 and £358,996 respectively.
So where should homebuyers look for both sustainability and property market affordability?
With 3.5 tonnes of CO2e emissions per capita, Liverpool is the fourth most sustainable city analysed by Regency Living; however, with an average house price of £179,382, it’s considerably more affordable than Brighton, London, and Bristol.
Bradford and Leicester also rank high, with 3.6 tonnes of CO2e emissions per capita and an average house price of £187,622 and £227,951 respectively.
Sales & Marketing Director at Regency Living, Tim Simmons commented:
“We’re becoming increasingly more aware of climate change and how the way we live impacts our planet. So whilst global nations look to combat this issue at COP29, we’re seeing more and more of the population consider how to reduce their carbon footprint at ground level.
Sustainability is now on the radar of homebuyers more than it’s ever been and this means a greater emphasis on certain lifestyle changes, which can influence the homes we live in, how we heat them, how we dispose of waste, and much more.
It’s certainly becoming a driving factor for many residential park home buyers who are looking to downsize in order to reduce their carbon footprint and it’s also a key reason that many over-50s downsizers are looking to exit major cities in search of less polluted areas and a more sustainable lifestyle.”
Data tables and sources
