Keeping Eco In Mind: A Study Into The Most And Least Eco-Minded English Counties

According to the Office of National Statistics, between October and December 2023, the UK released 133 million tonnes of emissions into the atmosphere. This and the emissions before and following are leading us to see unusual weather patterns. 

This past winter has been one of the wettest on record, with homes and farmland continually being flooded. So it’s now more important than ever that the general public gets on board with sustainable living, which involves installing solar panels, insulation, double glazing and heat pumps. Doing this not only aids the surrounding environment but will also save you money.

Some people are more eco-minded than others, this is also the same with counties. So here at Household Quotes, we’ve conducted a study to identify the most and least eco-minded counties in England. To achieve this, we researched the average monthly search volume in each county for solar panels, insulation, double-glazing and heat pumps. We then added the volumes together before dividing the county's population by that calculated value.

Bristol is England’s seventh most populated city, it is famous for its art and nightlife, with it also being home to two universities. The city has over 400 parks and green spaces, and according to Eco Move, 44% of household waste is recycled. It was found to be the most eco-minded county in England during this study, with an average of 1,950 eco-term searches per month over the past year. Solar Panels proved to be particularly popular for Bristolians, with them making up 38% of the total searches.

London is one of the world's most well renowned cities. It's the largest city in the UK and also the most visited when it comes to tourism. In recent years, Mayor Sadiq Khan has brought in ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zones) in an aim to tackle the city's total emissions. His aims seem to be catching on as Greater London ranked as the second most eco-minded county in England. The population of the UK’s capital seems particularly focused on Heat Pumps with an average search volume of 14,800 per month over the past year.

Cumbria is England’s most North West county and is popular with tourists looking to visit some of its many hills and lakes. Being surrounded by nature makes it no surprise that Cumbria has ranked high in this study. It has been revealed as the third most eco-minded county in England, with an average of 1,750 searches on average over the past year.

If you travel towards the South West, you’ll eventually be met with the picturesque county of Cornwall. It’s an extremely popular tourist destination, with St Ives, Newquay and Padstow seeing thousands of visitors each year. It’s home to some of the most eco-friendly accommodation in the country, with The Greenbank Hotel and St Michael’s Resort winning awards due to their sustainability. Cornwall ranked fourth in this study with an average of 1,950 searches per month, which is good compared to their fairly low population.

Merseyside is home to one of England’s most famous cities in Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles and renowned for football. Liverpudlians along with those that live in the rest of Merseyside clearly are forward thinking when it comes to being eco-minded, with the county coming fifth in this study.

Leicestershire, located in the centre of England and contains many large settlements. These include; Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Market Harborough and Melton Mowbray. It has been ranked as the least eco-minded English county in this study. Despite its relatively large population of just under 1.1 million, it only had an average search volume of 1,770 per month over the past twelve months.

It might be surprising to some that Gloucestershire ranked second in our study. This is because the county is home to the world's most eco-friendly football club, Forest Green Rovers who play in Nailsworth, near Stroud. If you’ve ever used the M5, you might also have made a stop at Gloucester Service Station, which has a grass bank over the top of it and a farm shop selling local produce. However, Gloucestershire only averaged 1,820 searches a month over the past year, resulting in it appearing on this list.

Nottinghamshire is a county notorious for the tales of Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. However, it ranked as the third least eco-minded county in England in this study, having an average search of 2,510 per month. This compared with Nottinghamshire’s high population of over 1.15 million, is why it is featured here. 

Known as the ‘royal county’, Berkshire sits just west of London. It also sits as the fourth least eco-minded English county in this study. The county is home to Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Newbury and Windsor and has a population of around 950,000. Out of that population, there are only an average of 2,180 searches a month when it comes to solar panels, insulation, double-glazing and heat pumps.

Rutland is England’s least populated county, with a population of just over 41,000. It’s located just east of Leicestershire, and its county town is the market town of Oakham. However, it still ranked as one of the least eco-minded counties in England, despite its low-population.

Joshua Houston, Eco Expert at Household Quotes:

‘’Given the ever changing weather we’re seeing across the world and in the UK, it’s more important than ever that we keep the environment in our minds. We should all be looking at being more sustainable, especially if we’re in a fortunate position to be able to afford solar panels, insulation, double-glazing and heat pumps. 

It should be kept in mind that if you can’t afford it, there are plenty of government grants which can allow you to have them installed for free or at a discounted rate.’’

The English counties and their populations were gathered using Statistica. 

Google Ads was used to work out the average monthly search volume in English counties for selected eco-terms over the past twelve months (June 2023 - May 2024). The terms searched were ‘Solar Panels’, ‘Insulation’, ‘Double-glazing’ and ‘Heat pumps’, with the average monthly search volume added together for each county.

Finally, the population of the county was divided by the total number of searches for our identified eco-terms, to come up with a ranking.

Data can be shared upon request.