Carbon intensity is usually measured by country, but it can actually vary significantly between regions.

Depending on where you live, the electricity you use can sometimes be significantly cleaner — or more carbon-intensive — than in other parts of the UK.

For example, here’s a comparison at exactly the same time between Edinburgh and London.

Edinburg

• 0 gCO₂/kWh carbon intensity
• 92% renewable electricity

London

• 83 gCO₂/kWh carbon intensity
• 43% renewable electricity

| Curious what the electricity mix in Cardiff looks like? Try CF10 1BH

The difference mainly comes from the electricity mix in each region.

In this example, the data was taken on a sunny and windy day, which meant renewable generation — especially wind and solar — was particularly high across the UK.

Scotland benefited the most because it has a large number of onshore and offshore wind turbines, and windy conditions can dramatically increase the share of low-carbon electricity being generated locally. Regions like London, on the other hand, have far less renewable generation nearby and rely more heavily on imported electricity and gas generation, especially during periods of high demand.

That means that the environmental impact of using electricity at the same time can look quite different depending on where you are in the UK.

This is one of the reasons regional electricity data matters.

Using Energy Trace, you can compare electricity emissions and renewable share across UK regions in real time and see how they change during the day.