Carbon Emissions Crash

Deepki recently released findings from its "ESG Index", revealing a significant drop in carbon emissions from the UK real estate sector.

In the UK, the built environment accounts for around 25% of all carbon emissions¹. In general, the United Kingdom’s climate contributes to relatively high energy consumption when compared to some other European countries, while its gas-based energy mix results in higher carbon emissions.

The UK retail sector has seen the biggest average drop in carbon emissions per real estate unit over the past year of around 17.6%. This is followed by housing, where average carbon emissions per unit has fallen by 13.2%.  Of the six real estate sectors reviewed, only the hotel industry saw a rise in average CO₂ emissions – 54.3 kgCO₂eq/m² per unit in 2023 compared to 52.5 kgCO₂eq/m² in 2022 (a rise of 3.4%).

Commenting on the findings, Lindsay Taylor, Head of UK Delivery at Deepki, said: “The findings show that key typologies across commercial real estate in the UK are embracing the path to net zero and moving in the right direction,”

“Measures that are being implemented to improve the carbon footprint of assets through greater energy efficiency such as improving insulation and ensuring better regulation of equipment such as lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning so that they’re in tune with use patterns and seasons, are starting to pay dividends, although we must bear in mind the effect of the climate itself.”