Carbon Footprint of Housing in the Leeds City Region – A Best Practice Scenario Analysis

The report identifies that the Leeds City Region must reduce housing-related CO2e emissions by 38 million tonnes by 2026 to align with national 2050 targets. The most impactful measure is the major retrofit of existing homes, which could provide 53.2% of the required reduction. Other essential measures include behavioural change (22%), low and zero carbon technologies (12.4%), and stricter new build standards (9%). The study concludes that a combination of these measures, supplemented by either external wall insulation, additional LZC installations, or selective demolition and rebuild of inefficient properties, is necessary to meet the target.

• To remain on track for an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, the housing sector in the Leeds City Region needs to reduce its total carbon dioxide emissions by 38 million tonnes between 2010 and 2026.
• Retrofitting existing homes is the most effective single measure for carbon reduction, potentially delivering 53.2% of the 38 million tonne target. This involves providing loft insulation to 90% of homes, cavity wall insulation to 95% of eligible homes, energy-saving light bulbs to 90% of homes, and condensing boilers to 90% of gas-heated homes by 2026.
• Behavioural change, driven by educational campaigns and incentives like smart metering to achieve an annual energy consumption reduction of 0.6%, is estimated to contribute 22% (8.3 million tonnes) toward the reduction target.
• The installation of Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) technologies in 35% of the existing housing stock (approximately 500,000 installations by 2026) would provide a 12.4% reduction, totaling 4.7 million tonnes of CO2e.
• Ensuring all new homes comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes timetable—reaching 'zero carbon' by 2016—would contribute 9% (3.5 million tonnes) to the required reduction.
• A combination of the essential measures (retrofit, behavioural change, LZCs, and new build standards) would leave a shortfall of 1.3 million tonnes. This can be met by one of three optional measures: fitting external wall insulation to 90,000 properties, installing LZC technology in an additional 170,000 homes, or the energy-efficient rebuild of 51,000 poorly performing properties.
• Under a 'Continuing Trends' scenario, where historical trends in energy efficiency and population growth persist, total CO2e emissions from housing in the Leeds City Region are projected to increase by 7% to 16% between 2007 and 2026.

APA

Barrett, J., & Dawkins, E. (2008). Carbon Footprint of Housing in the Leeds City Region – A Best Practice Scenario Analysis. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2008-wp-leeds-best-practice.pdf

Chicago

Barrett, John, and Elena Dawkins. Carbon Footprint of Housing in the Leeds City Region – A Best Practice Scenario Analysis. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2008-wp-leeds-best-practice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barrett |first1=John |last2=Dawkins |first2=Elena |title=Carbon Footprint of Housing in the Leeds City Region – A Best Practice Scenario Analysis |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2008-wp-leeds-best-practice.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barrett2008carbon, author = {Barrett, John and Dawkins, Elena}, title = {{Carbon Footprint of Housing in the Leeds City Region – A Best Practice Scenario Analysis}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/sei-2008-wp-leeds-best-practice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }