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Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
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- For Government policy, see Energy policy of the United Kingdom
Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom have been receiving increased attention over recent years. Key factors behind this are the UK Government's commitment to reducing carbon emissions, the projected 'energy gap' in electricity generation, and the increasing reliance on imports to meet national energy needs.
r the Kyoto protocol the UK Government committed to reducing the levels of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases by 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012.
Based on a recommendation by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, the Government has also committed to cutting emissions by 20% by 2010, 60% by 2050, and 80% by 2100, compared to 1990 levels.
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Encyclopedia
- For Government policy, see Energy policy of the United Kingdom
Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom have been receiving increased attention over recent years. Key factors behind this are the UK Government's commitment to reducing carbon emissions, the projected 'energy gap' in electricity generation, and the increasing reliance on imports to meet national energy needs.
Under the Kyoto protocol the UK Government committed to reducing the levels of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases by 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012.
Based on a recommendation by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, the Government has also committed to cutting emissions by 20% by 2010, 60% by 2050, and 80% by 2100, compared to 1990 levels. These reductions were thought in 2000 to be those required to stabilise atmospheric carbon dioxide at 550 ppm (compared to current levels of 380ppm), although latest scientific opinion is that stabilisation at this level is likely to be insufficient to avoid dangerous climate change. Research shows that the world is heading for much higher than the 650 ppm level.
The achievement of the first of these targets should have been made considerably easier due to an inadvertent reduction in emissions caused by the (cost driven) displacement of coal by natural gas in electricity generation. Compared to coal, gas produces around 30% less when burnt, since natural gas contains a larger percentage of hydrogen than coal does. Filling the electricity generation gap (see below) while cutting emission levels presents a significant challenge. emissions from electricity generation have already risen 15% since 1997, though were still 15.9% lower than 1990 levels.
It is currently expected that the reduction by 2010 will actually be in the 15-18% range, although the 20% target remains.
Future targets
In March 2007 the Government published a draft Climate Change Bill aimed at requiring a mandatory 60% cut in the UK's emissions by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels), with an intermediate target of between 26% and 32% by 2020.
A report by the University College London Environment Institute (commissioned by Channel 4 for heavily criticised Dispatches Great Global Warming Swindle programme) suggested that current government policies would achieve a reduction in greenhouse gases of between 12 and 17% by 2020, compared to an implied target of up to 30%. The report states that the over-riding block to achieving 30% is that nearly all the government's targets are voluntary.
Past performance
The figures below are the annual figures for carbon dioxide emissions since 1990. They exclude carbon emissions from international aviation and international shipping, which together rose by 74.2% from 22.65 to 39.45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between 1990 and 2004.
UK greenhouse gas emissions (million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) | | | | | | | | | | | | | Year | Net CO2 | Change* | CH4 | N2O | HFCs | PFCs | SF6 | Total | Total | Change* | | (Domestic target)** | | (UK) | (Kyoto target)*** |
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| 1990 | 592.1 | 0.0% | 103.4 | 63.6 | 11.4 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 771.9 | 770.3 | 0.0% | | 1991 | 598.9 | 1.1% | 102.6 | 63.5 | 11.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 779.2 | 776.6 | 0.2% | | 1992 | 581.9 | -1.7% | 101.1 | 57.3 | 12.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 754.3 | 752.4 | -2.9% | | 1993 | 567.0 | -4.2% | 98.0 | 52.8 | 13.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 732.5 | 731.7 | -5.6% | | 1994 | 559.2 | -5.6% | 91.0 | 54.1 | 14.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 720.0 | 719.3 | -7.2% | | 1995 | 549.6 | -7.2% | 90.1 | 52.8 | 15.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 709.7 | 709.0 | -8.5% | | 1996 | 571.3 | -3.5% | 87.7 | 53.2 | 16.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 730.7 | 730.1 | -5.8% | | 1997 | 548.4 | -7.4% | 82.8 | 54.6 | 19.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 706.6 | 706.4 | -8.9% | | 1998 | 550.1 | -7.1% | 78.2 | 54.3 | 17.3 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 701.6 | 701.9 | -9.5% | | 1999 | 540.8 | -8.7% | 72.9 | 44.0 | 10.9 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 670.4 | 670.9 | -13.4% | | 2000 | 548.8 | -7.3% | 68.4 | 43.5 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 672.1 | 672.8 | -13.2% | | 2001 | 559.6 | -5.5% | 62.4 | 41.4 | 9.7 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 674.9 | 675.9 | -12.8% | | 2002 | 543.2 | -8.3% | 59.4 | 39.9 | 9.9 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 654.2 | 655.8 | -15.4% | | 2003 | 555.1 | -6.3% | 53.4 | 39.6 | 10.2 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 659.9 | 661.5 | -14.7% | | 2004 | 554.6 | -6.3% | 51.6 | 40.4 | 8.9 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 656.9 | 659.3 | -15.0% | | 2005 | 554.2 | -6.4% | 49.3 | 39.6 | 9.2 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 653.8 | 656.2 | -15.3% | *Change percentages are the figures originally published. All other figures are revised annually as improvements are made to the calculation methods, so the percentages shown do not necessarily align with the rest of the data.
**Domestic target is based on CO2 only. Baseline 592.1
***Kyoto target is based on all greenhouse gases. Baseline is 775.2. Kyoto total differs from the sum of the columns due to differences in definitions used, and the inclusion of emissions from UK Overseas Territories.
Note: Figures shown do not include any adjustment for the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Source: , published 2007-01-31 |
Final energy consumption
During 2007, the total energy consumed in the UK was the equivalent to 164.6 million tonnes of oil (an increase of 11.74% compared to the equivalent of 147.3 million tonnes of oil used in 1990). This represented 65.5% of the total energy used; the other 34.5% was lost in converting or transmitting the energy, or was used by the energy industries themselves before it reached the consumers.
Final energy consumption was used by consumers in the following proportions:
- Transport – 38.83% (33.00% in 1990)
- Domestic – 28.19% (27.70% in 1990)
- Industry – 20.21% (26.27% in 1990)
- Services and agriculture – 12.77% (13.03% in 1990)
Energy imports
With large coal reserves, and the extraction of North Sea oil and gas that started in the 1970s, until the 2000s the UK was one of the few countries that were largely self sufficient in energy, and indeed the UK was a net-exporter of oil and gas in recent decades.
Due to the decline in North Sea production, and the costs of mining and using coal cleanly, unless action is taken to reduce demand, it is expected that the UK will become a major importer of oil and gas by 2015. After becoming a net exporter of gas in 1997, the UK became a net importer again in 2004.
Electricity supply
With the development of the national grid, the switch to using electricity, UK electricity consumption increased by around 150% between the post war nationalisation of the industry in 1948 and the mid 1960s. During the 1960s growth slowed as the market became saturated.
Fuel sources
During the 1940s some 90% of the generating capacity was fired by coal, with oil providing most of the remainder.
The UK started to develop a nuclear generating capacity in the 1950s, with Calder Hall being connected to the grid on 27 August 1956. Though the production of weapons-grade plutonium was the main reason behind this power station, other civil stations followed, and 26% of the nation's electricity was generated from nuclear power at its peak in 1997.
Despite the flow of North Sea oil from the mid 1970s, oil fuelled generation remained relatively small and continued to decline.
Starting in 1993, and continuing through to the 1990s, a combination of factors led to a so-called Dash for Gas, during which the use of coal was scaled back in favour of gas fuelled generation. This was sparked by the privatisation of the National Coal Board, British Gas, the Central Electricity Generating Board, the introduction of laws facilitating competition within the energy markets, and the availability of cheap gas from the North Sea. In 1990 just 1.09% of all gas consumed in the country was used in electricity generation. By 2004 the figure was 30.25%.
By 2004, coal use in power stations had fallen by 43.6% (50.5 million tonnes, representing 82.4% of all coal used in 2004) compared to 1980 levels, though up slightly from its low in 1999.
From the mid 1990s new renewable energy sources began to contribute to the electricity generated, adding to a small hydroelectricity generating capacity.
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