Britain’s most eco-friendly neighbours live in Green Lane, Cookridge, Leeds, just in case you were wondering.

In an experiment masterminded by British Gas, the Leeds residents won a competition which saw eight families on eight different streets throughout the U.K. try to cut their energy consumption by 25%. And the prize, some £30,000 for the street to spend on energy saving light bulbs, solar panels, loft insulation and energy conscious kettles.

The project highlighted some families which achieved a whopping energy saving of over 50%, and many coming in with a still impressive 30%.

One family in Green Lane achieved a dramatic 45% reduction, saving what they believe was £700 off their annual energy bill. They were helped in their quest with a smart meter that allowed them to monitor real-time their consumption. They told reporters how shocked they were whenever they boiled a kettle, or used an iron. The amount of electricity they used was incredible they said and encouraged them to only boil the amount of water they needed, and to use the iron less. They also gave up on their electric mower and used a manual one.

By running the competition, British Gas were keen to highlight the fact that households account for a quarter of the total U.K. emissions. Furthermore, that for every £3 spent on heating a U.K. house, on average £1 is lost due to poor insulation.

The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), an independent think tank, monitored the experiment and will make a report to the Government. It’s been pointed out that if all British households took the same measures as the families in the competition, the country could easily beat the target to cut U.K. emissions of carbon dioxide. In fact, it would save 35 million tons of emissions, which is equivalent to what three coal-fired power stations produce every year.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

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