Green Streets - Green Streets 08

Green Streets in 2008

In 2008, eight streets in eight cities around the country took part in Green Streets, a unique energy challenge from British Gas.

Participating households in each street competed to see who could save the most energy and CO2 emissions over one year. British Gas gave each street £30,000 to spend on energy saving equipment, from low energy light bulbs to cavity wall insulation to solar panels. 

Participants also used electricity monitors and smart meters so they could see the amount of energy they were using and saving.

Energy use cut by up to 45%

During the year long challenge, participants reduced their energy consumption by an average of 25% and saved around 89 tonnes of CO2. 

By achieving energy savings of almost 35%, Green Lane in Leeds finally won the title of the greenest street in Britain.

The Lewis family managed to reduce their energy usage by the most: over 45%. The Lewis’s motivation for signing up to the Green Streets challenge came from their wish to run an eco friendly household.

British Gas awarded the residents of Green Lane £50,000 to spend on energy efficiency measures for their local community. They gave it to Caring for Life – a local charity that helps vulnerable people in the community.

British Gas will install a large solar PV array on the roof of the Caring for Life workshop, as well as a new condensing boiler in their farm house and a smart meter to help them monitor and conserve energy. 

The bigger picture

If the Green Streets challenge were replicated across the country, it would save 35 million tonnes of CO2. That’s equivalent to one third of the UK’s 2020 carbon emissions reduction target, or the output of three coal fired power stations. The potential savings on the UK’s domestic energy bill would be around £6bn.

The streets

- Greenend Road, London
- Green Lane, Southampton
- Green Park Road, Plymouth
- Greenway Road, Cardiff
- Green Lane, Birmingham
- Green Street, Manchester
- Green Lane, Leeds
- Colinton Mains Green, Edinburgh

The statistics

- 10 energy auditors
- 12 installation experts
- 1476 light bulbs
- 43 cavity wall installations
- 42 energy efficient boilers
- 9 solar panels