Heat pumps help UK emissions fall to 150-year low in 2025
Heat pumps help UK emissions fall to 150-year low in 2025
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11 March 2026
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Gas use was lower than it has been since the 1990s
Heat pumps and EVs are helping to bring down emissions
The UK’s carbon emissions fell by 2.4%, or 364mn tonnes, in 2025 to their lowest level since 1872, in a major win for renewable energy thanks to heat pumps and EVs, according to analysis from Carbon Brief.
The analysis also shows that gas use in the UK last year was lower than it has been at any point since 1992. On top of that, less coal was burned last year than any year since 1600, due to closures and a struggling steel industry.
Oil use also fell in 2025 by 0.9%, helped in large part due to more electric vehicles (EVs) on the road. All this means that the UK’s gas emissions have fallen by 54% since 1990, all the while GDP has almost doubled, proving that using clean energy can help the economy.
Carbon Brief also said that the the UK’s territorial greenhouse gas emissions, those generated within the country’s borders, have now fallen for 27 of the last 36 years.
That means the UK’s emissions are at a sustained low level not seen since the Victorian era.
Renewable energy is helping
The slump in emissions is being helped by the boom in clean energy technology, such as heat pumps and EVs. By the end of the year, the UK had 450,00 domestic heat pumps, cutting 0.7MtCO2 per year.
That would increase to 4.5MtCO2 per year if the UK hit its target of 2.3 million heat pumps installed by 2030.
The boom in EV sales is also helping cut the UK’s emissions, by as much as 7MtCO2 a year. There were 700,000 new EVs on the road in 2025, cutting 2MtCO2 from the UK’s output.
There are also 2.4mn fewer diesel cars in use than there were in 2019, a trend Carbon Brief thinks will continue. All the while EV plug ins have increased by nearly 3mn.
Written By
Maximilian SchwerdtfegerDeputy editor
Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.
He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .
In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.
He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.
Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.
As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.
His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.
Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.
Tamara BirchNewsletters and sponsored content editor
Tamara is a journalist with more than six years experience writing about environmental topics. This includes advising small businesses on cost-effective ways tom become more sustainable, from installing to solar panels and heat pumps and reducing waste. She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs. Now, she’s using this experience to advise homeowners on the benefits of installing low-carbon technologies. She is also qualified in offering innovative initiatives to improve sustainability practices in businesses, from advertising to marketing and publishing.
Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.
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