Sustainability

Narrative

Energy and Carbon

Renewable energy: In England, the amount of electricity generated from renewable fuel types has been increasing and in 2025, 52% of all electricity generated came from renewable sources. In Barnet, there are 3,261 photovoltaic sites that together generated 9,488MWh of electricity in 2024.
Energy consumption: In 2024, the mean amount of energy consumed per domestic meter was 3,716kWh in Barnet – this is a decrease compared to 2012 but is still above the London (3,241kWh) and England average (3,353kWh). The domestic sector is Barnet’s largest consumer of energy, with 496 million kWh energy consumed in 2023; this is followed by the industrial and commercial sector (269 million kWh consumed) and the transport sector (247 million kWh consumed).
Energy efficiency: the energy efficiency rates of buildings varies across Barnet by property type and tenure. As of 2023/24, flats and maisonettes had the highest median energy efficiency score of 74, followed by terraced homes (median score of 66) and detached and semi-detached homes (both with a median score of 61). Energy efficiency scores tend to be higher in homes that are rented (median score of 69) as opposed to homes which are owner-occupied (median score of 65).
Borough greenhouse gas emissions:
- Carbon dioxide emissions have been decreasing over time, and in Barnet are currently 2.5 ktCO2e per capita in 2024, down from 5.5 ktCO2e per capita in 2005. The largest source of CO2 in Barnet is the domestic sector (453 ktCO2e), followed by the transport (340 ktCO2e) and commercial (120 ktCO2e) sectors.
- Methane emissions are largely from the waste sector in Barnet. Emissions in Barnet have fluctuated over time and in 2024 are at 0.1 ktCO2e per capita; this is below the London (0.2 ktCO2e) and England average (0.6 ktCO2e) and is the lowest observed level since data began in 2005.
- Nitrogen dioxide emissions in Barnet have stayed low over time and in 2024 were 0.03 ktCO2e per capita, which is below both the London average (0.09 ktCO2e per capita) and the England average (0.26 ktCO2e per capita). The waste sector is the primary source of NO2 in Barnet (4.4 ktCO2e in 2024), followed by the transport and industrial sectors (2.5 kt CO2e each respectively in 2024).
Council operations carbon emissions: There has been a 36% decrease in council operations emissions between 2018/19 and 2024/25.

Sustainable Movement

Vehicles: The pattern of car ownership differs across Barnet. In an LSOA in Cricklewood ward, 62% of households don’t own a car or van whereas in an LSOA in Totteridge and Woodside, only 5% of households don’t. The number of newly licenced cars hit a peak in Barnet in 2019 of 12,188 and has since dropped to 6,603 in 2025. The number of licenced plug-in vehicles in Barnet has been growing over time, from just 1,000 in Q1 2010 to 120,000 in Q1 2026. The number of electric vehicles charge points has also grown over time and currently sits at 287 per 100,000 population in July 2026. This is higher than the England average (170 per 100,000) but sits below London (340 per 100,000).
Public transport: in 2022/23-2024/25, 55% of trips by Barnet residents were completed by walking, cycling, or public transport; this represents an increase of 5% compared to 2012/13-2014/15. 117,000 trips by Barnet residents were completed on public transport daily in 2022/23-2023/24. This is a large decline compared to 2017/18-2019/20, where the average daily trip number was 209,000, and is likely due to the rise of hybrid working following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Active transport: In 2022/23-2024/25, 31% of Barnet residents did at least two sets of 10-minutes of active travel a day, and 36% of all trips are taken by walking.The number of daily cyclists at the majority of monitoring locations has increased between 2015 and 2025, most notably in Osidge Lane where cyclist numbers has grown by 700% over the last decade.

Adaptation and Resilience

Air quality: Nitrogen dioxide and Particulate Matter 2.5 concentrations vary across Barnet, with establishments in the South-West of the borough having higher exposure levels than those in the North-East.
Temperature and heat mortality: according to measurements from the Hampstead Climate Station, Barnet has a higher average maximum and minimum temperature throughout the year compared to the England average. Across London, the relative risk of mortality begins to gradually increase once the temperature passes 21C. A temperature of 29C carries a 3.6 relative risk of mortality. In 2025, there were 35 heat-associated deaths per million population in London.

Green Infrastructure:

In total, natural habitats in Barnet in 2024 had a annual value of £349 million for urban heat regulation and £15.6 million for air pollution regulation. Additionally, greenspace is estimated to be worth £832 million in recreational benefit and responsible for an avoided £685 million in combined physical and mental health costs. Overall, greenspace in Barnet is valued at £543 per person per year.
Tree canopy cover varies by ward. Between 2019 and 2021, Hale and East Finchley had the highest coverage at 28.7% whilst Edgware had the lowest at 12.5%.

Waste Management:

In Barnet, 34,400 tonnes of waste was collected in Q4 2023/24. The primary waste stream type was comingled recyclate and the largest material group collected by weight was paper and card.
As of 2024/25, the average household in Barnet produced 637kg of residual waste per year; this is higher than the London and England averages of ~500kg per household. The Barnet household recycling rate of 28% is below the London average of 33% as well as the England average of 42%. In 2024/25, the recycling contamination rate in Barnet hit a high of 21.4%, over six times the rate reported in 2015/16.