The colour-coded banding that is presented throughout the app is based on the carbon intensity of your local electricity supply. The bands represent low, moderate and high carbon intensity. The numerical definitions of the banding are shown below.
Banding | gCO2/kWh |
High (red) | 280+ |
Moderate (amber) | 180-279 |
Low (green) | 0-179 |
There are smaller bands within each of these three categories, this helps to show variation at substations where the carbon intensity does not change frequently. Red has four band variations, amber has two, and green has two.
The average carbon intensity across the country has been steadily decreasing in the last five years. The following table shows an estimation of the historical average annual carbon intensity of UK electricity since 2012. The Committee on Climate Change estimates that the power sector should aim for an average carbon intensity of between 50-100g/kWh in order to reach the 2050 target of carbon neutrality.
Year | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2030 Target | 2050 Target |
Carbon intensity (gCO2/kWh) | 482 | 472 | 415 | 369 | 289 | ~270 | <100 | ~0 |