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Last updated: 27 September 2023

UK ECO Scheme Home Improvements Stats, Graphs & Regional Data

Since 2013 the UK government has promoted schemes to improve the energy efficiency of every household in the UK.

We analysed the latest data released by ONS about the success of these schemes and the differences in regions throughout the UK.

What Stands Out:

Countries

  • In total 3.644.377 installations were completed since the start of the schemes in 2013
  • The average number of ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households is 143 across the UK
    • Scotland has 171 home improvements per 1,000 households
    • Wales has 145 home improvements per 1,000 households
    • England has 118 home improvements per 1,000 households on average
  • The total number of ECO scheme home improvement installations in the UK is 3,644,377
    • Scotland has 424,284 improvements installed in total
    • Wales has 197,138 improvements installed in total
    • England has 3,022,955 improvements installed in total

Regions

  • The greater area of London has 65 improvements completed per 1,000 households. This is the lowest number of improvements per 1,000 households
  • The North West has the highest number of improvements with 212 improvements per 1,000 households. That is 3x as many as the greater London area and the south of the UK
  • The South of the UK has on average 79 home improvements, which is by far the lowest amount of improvements per 1,000 households

Unitary authorities

  • Unitary authority Bradford has the highest number of improvements per 1,000 households with 556 ECO scheme home improvements
  • Both the Isles of Scilly and City of London unitary authorities have 0 registered ECO scheme home improvements
  • Wandsworth has the lowest number of improvements that isn’t 0 with 17 ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households
  • Birmingham in West Midlands has the most total installations completed: 306.295
  • The island Na h-Eileanan Siar (previously Western Isles) has 389 ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households, which is high for the surrounding area

UK's 10 Largest Cities

UK Largest CitiesECO Scheme Home Improvements InstallationsECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 Households
London226,38263
Birmingham306,295270
Manchester272,159232
Glasgow54,258185
Newcastle80,043161
Sheffield114,024193
Leeds262,203275
Bristol15,79882
Nottingham43,353123
Liverpool145,588233

ECO scheme home improvements in the UK per region

Below is all UK data divided into regions.

What stands out:

  • The middle of the UK has up to 300% the number of measures taken per 1,000 households compared to the south
  • The greater area of London has by far the least amount of ECO scheme home improvements with 65 improvements per 1,000 households
  • The North West of England has the highest number of ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households: 212.
  • It also has the highest number of total installations: 662,265

Here are the areas in order from high to low based on the ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households:

RegionECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 HouseholdsTotal ECO Scheme Home Improvements Installations
North West England212662,265
Yorkshire200459,936
North East England193224,578
West Midlands189453,903
Scotland171424,284
East Midlands144287,902
Wales145197,138
South Western England93222,911
East of England84214,445
South East Coast71270,634
London65226,382

ECO Scheme Home Improvements Per Unitary Authority

Below is all UK data divided into unitary authorities.

  • The top 20 unitary authorities with the highest number of ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households have, on average, 11x as many improvements than the 20 lowest ranking unitary authorities (373 vs. 33)
  • Counting the top 20 unitary authorities by ECO scheme home improvement installations makes the total 1,242,551 installations, while the bottom 20 unitary authorities only have a total of 29,579 installations. That is a 4200% difference
  • The contrast between 2 bordering unitary authorities is the largest between Bradford (548 per 1,000 households) vs. North Yorkshire (91 per 1,000 households)
  • The contrast between 2 bordering unitary authorities is the largest between Birmingham (149,218 installations) vs. Solihull (14,750 installations).
  • The district of Luton has 3x the average number of ECO scheme home improvements with 302 per 1,000 households but is surrounded by districts that have about 50 improvements per 1,000 households.

Top 20 regions with highest ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households

Unitary AuthorityTotal ECO Scheme Home Improvements InstallationsECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 Households
Bradford112,610556
Blackburn with Darwen27,738485
Leicester55,186443
Blackpool27,502437
East Renfrewshire16,621425
Pendle16,104419
Na h-Eileanan Siar5,005392
Hartlepool15,656376
Oldham34,774373
Burnley13,945367
Birmingham149,218353
Rotherham38,234343
Hyndburn11,752337
Ceredigion10,470336
Luton25,728332
Denbighshire13,814332
Middlesbrough17,277302
Walsall32,183288
North Lanarkshire42,998283
Inverclyde10,411277

Top 20 unitary authorities with the highest number of ECO scheme home improvement installations

Unitary AuthorityTotal ECO Scheme Home Improvements InstallationsECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 Households
Birmingham149,218353
Bradford112,610556
Lancashire110,889215
Tyne and Wear80,043161
Inner London78,60353
Leeds65,876199
Manchester58,208270
Leicester55,186443
Glasgow City54,258185
Liverpool50,052228
Essex48,73679
County Durham47,615205
Nottinghamshire43,353123
North Lanarkshire42,998283
Kirklees42,947239
Kent42,11465
Staffordshire41,117110
Hampshire40,62471
Devon39,069113
Leicestershire39,035135

Top 20 unitary authorities with the lowest number of ECO scheme home improvement installations

Unitary AuthorityTotal ECO Scheme Home Improvements InstallationsECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 Households
City of London00
Isles of Scilly00
Shetland Islands74372
Orkney Islands98394
Rutland1,07365
Epsom and Ewell1,23740
Mole Valley1,31336
Brentwood1,51048
Uttlesford1,56144
Richmond upon Thames1,65820
Tandridge1,72349
Kensington and Chelsea1,72323
Winchester1,84437
Hammersmith and Fulham1,92224
Derbyshire Dales1,98862
Babergh1,99450
Welwyn Hatfield2,06043
Cambridge2,07046
Stevenage2,07157
Waverley2,10642

Top 20 unitary authorities with the lowest number of ECO scheme home improvements per 1,000 households

Unitary AuthorityTotal ECO Scheme Home Improvements InstallationsECO Scheme Home Improvements per 1,000 Households
City of London00
Isles of Scilly00
Wandsworth2,31617
Richmond upon Thames1,65820
Westminster2,49121
Kensington and Chelsea1,72323
Hammersmith and Fulham1,92224
Mole Valley1,31336
Winchester1,84437
Epsom and Ewell1,23740
Waverley2,10642
Merton3,34542
Welwyn Hatfield2,06043
Camden4,77743
Uttlesford1,56144
Tunbridge Wells2,13544
Elmbridge2,40844
Sutton3,58044
Vale of White Horse2,45245
Guildford2,54545

Explanations:

Counted as ECO scheme home improvements:

  • Cavity wall insulation
  • External wall insulation
  • Loft insulation
  • Other insulation
  • Boiler upgrade
  • Air source heat pumps
  • Heating controls
  • Other heating improvements
  • Biomass boilers
  • Solar panels
  • Windows and doors

Schemes counted:

  • Carbon Saving Target (CERO)
  • Carbon Savings Community (CSCO)
  • Affordable Warmth (HHCRO)

Other regional data

Below, you can view other articles with analysed data:

Scotland: ECO scheme home improvements

Wales: ECO scheme home improvements

England: ECO scheme home improvements

Or you can find and use the raw datasets we created and use them as you see fit:

United Kingdom ECO Scheme Home Improvements

Scotland ECO Scheme Home Improvements

Wales ECO Scheme Home Improvements

England ECO Scheme Home Improvements

In order to create a great visualisation we merged a number of regions into larger ones:

NorthamptonshireNorth NorthamptonshireWest Northamptonshire
BedfordshireBedfordCentral BedfordshireLuton
BerkshireAberdeen CityMoray
CheshireCheshire West and ChesterCheshire EastWarringtonHalton
County of BristolBristol
DurhamDarlingtonHartlepoolCounty DurhamStockton-on-Tees
HerefordshireHerefordshire
CumbriaCumberlandWestmorland and Furness
Greater LondonGreater LondonCamdenCity of LondonLewisham
HackneyHammersmith & FulhamHaringeyNewham
IslingtonKensington and ChelseaLambethSouthwark
Tower HamletsBarking and DagenhamBrentEaling
WandsworthBarnetBromleyEnfield
WestminsterBexleyCroydonGreenwich
RedbridgeKingston upon ThamesHillingdonHarrow
Richmond upon ThamesMertonHounslowHavering
SuttonWaltham ForestBrentwood