The internet consumes a lot of electricity. 416.2 TWh per year.
How are universities and colleges impacting the planet? You may not think of websites as sources of carbon emissions but they are. Data centres, transmission networks, and the devices we use to access them all use electricity which, in turn, produces carbon emissions. When your website has lots of visitors that can easily add up. We've used the Website Carbon Calculator (created by Wholegrain Digital) to assess UK learning provider homepages.
The average emissions from a UK learning provider homepage are 1.22g (median of 0.85g) which is worse than an average website (0.5g). Overall, UK learning providers are doing badly. The top and bottom 10 websites are given here with the full list below.
| UK learning provider | CO2 (g) | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Westminster | 0.17 | A |
| University of Leeds | 0.17 | A |
| London Business School | 0.18 | A |
| The University of Chichester | 0.19 | B |
| Norwich University College of the Arts | 0.21 | B |
| Plymouth Marjon University | 0.21 | B |
| Heriot-Watt University | 0.22 | B |
| University of Wales Prifysgol Cymru | 0.22 | B |
| University of Surrey | 0.24 | B |
| University of Lancaster | 0.25 | B |
| UK learning provider | CO2 (g) | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | 8.72 | F |
| Cranfield University | 5.98 | F |
| The Arts University College at Bournemouth | 5.81 | F |
| University of Sunderland | 5.71 | F |
| The Royal Veterinary College | 5.47 | F |
| The City University | 5.13 | F |
| University of London | 3.66 | F |
| Royal Holloway College and Bedford New College | 3.56 | F |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | 3.36 | F |
| The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts | 3.31 | F |
We use Website Carbon's rating scale which rates websites on a scale from A+ to F. This is the distribution of ratings across local/combined authorities.
Each visitor may only produce a few grams of CO2 emissions but when taken over time - and over the number of visitors - that can soon add up. For instance, if your page generates 1g of CO2 per visit and you get 10,000 visitors a month that works out at as much CO2 as boiling water for 5,700 cups of tea a year.
Aside from the environmental impact of large websites, there is also the impact on your visitors who are on limited data plans. A single visit to a 30MB homepage (12g of CO2) would use an entire day's worth of data for someone on a 1GB monthly plan.
Don't despair! The worst offenders usually have some very easy things they can do to dramatically reduce their CO2 emissions that most likely don't need the IT department to get involved. The first thing to do is check the file sizes of images you use on the front page. Often there will be a large header image, images in a carousel, or images associated with news items. These are most likely added through a content management system which doesn't optimise the image.
Check out our advice for local authorities, Wholegrain Digital's 17 ways you can make your website more efficient and our blog post from the #PlanetData2 event in 2020.
Here is the full list of universities with their CO2 emissions but you can also get this as a CSV file or TSV file. Note that university websites often change with new featured items and this can affect their CO2 emissions so this table is a snapshot.
| Rank | UK learning provider | UKPRN | CO2 (g) | Rating | MB | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | 10005561 | 8.72 | F | 34.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 2 | Cranfield University | 10007822 | 5.98 | F | 9.9 | 2022-09-06 |
| 3 | The Arts University College at Bournemouth | 10000385 | 5.81 | F | 23.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 4 | University of Sunderland | 10007159 | 5.71 | F | 22.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 5 | The Royal Veterinary College | 10007779 | 5.47 | F | 21.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 6 | The City University | 10001478 | 5.13 | F | 20.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 7 | University of London | 10007797 | 3.66 | F | 14.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 8 | Royal Holloway College and Bedford New College | 10005553 | 3.56 | F | 14.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 9 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 10007854 | 3.36 | F | 13.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 10 | The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts | 10003945 | 3.31 | F | 13.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 11 | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Ltd | 10008017 | 3.15 | F | 14.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 12 | London Metropolitan University | 10004048 | 3.09 | F | 12.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 13 | University of the Arts, London | 10007162 | 3.03 | F | 12.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 14 | University of Bath (The) | 10007850 | 2.92 | F | 11.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 15 | Royal Academy of Music | 10007835 | 2.85 | F | 13.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 16 | University of East Anglia | 10007789 | 2.78 | F | 12.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 17 | Leeds College of Art | 10003854 | 2.53 | F | 11.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 18 | University College Falmouth | 10008640 | 2.52 | F | 11.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 19 | Harper Adams University | 10040812 | 2.46 | F | 9.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 20 | University of Salford | 10007156 | 2.36 | F | 9.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 21 | Glasgow Caledonian University | 10007762 | 2.34 | F | 10.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 22 | Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln | 10007811 | 2.29 | F | 9.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 23 | Leeds College of Music | 10034449 | 2.28 | F | 10.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 24 | Writtle College | 10007657 | 2.19 | F | 8.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 25 | University of Aberdeen | 10007783 | 2.04 | F | 8.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 26 | University of Winchester | 10003614 | 2.01 | F | 8.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 27 | London South Bank University | 10004078 | 2.00 | F | 7.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 28 | University of Nottingham | 10007154 | 1.98 | F | 7.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 29 | University of Bedfordshire | 10007152 | 1.94 | F | 7.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 30 | University of the West of Scotland | 10007800 | 1.68 | F | 6.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 31 | University of Essex | 10007791 | 1.65 | F | 6.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 32 | University of Hull | 10007149 | 1.63 | F | 6.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 33 | University of Plymouth | 10007801 | 1.61 | F | 6.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 34 | Liverpool John Moores University | 10003957 | 1.59 | F | 6.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 35 | University of Leicester | 10007796 | 1.58 | F | 6.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 35 | Glyndwr University | 10007833 | 1.58 | F | 6.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 37 | University of Glamorgan / Prifysgol Morgannwg | 10007793 | 1.50 | F | 6.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 37 | St Mary's University College, Twickenham | 10007843 | 1.50 | F | 6.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 39 | The University of Cumbria | 10007842 | 1.47 | F | 6.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 40 | University of Cambridge | 10007788 | 1.46 | F | 5.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 41 | University Campus Suffolk Ltd | 10014001 | 1.37 | F | 5.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 42 | Edge Hill University | 10007823 | 1.33 | F | 6.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 43 | University of Edinburgh | 10007790 | 1.32 | F | 5.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 44 | Roehampton University | 10007776 | 1.27 | F | 5.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 45 | University of Hertfordshire | 10007147 | 1.26 | F | 5.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 45 | Nottingham Trent University | 10004797 | 1.26 | F | 5.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 47 | University of Worcester | 10007139 | 1.25 | F | 5.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 47 | University of Exeter | 10007792 | 1.25 | F | 5.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 49 | University of Reading | 10007802 | 1.24 | F | 4.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 50 | University of Greenwich | 10007146 | 1.21 | F | 4.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 51 | University of Newcastle Upon Tyne | 10007799 | 1.20 | F | 4.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 52 | London School of Economics & Political Science | 10004063 | 1.17 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 53 | Loughborough University | 10004113 | 1.16 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 54 | St George's Hospital Medical School | 10007782 | 1.15 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 54 | Rose Bruford College | 10005523 | 1.15 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 56 | University of Bristol | 10007786 | 1.13 | F | 4.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 57 | Royal College of Music | 10007778 | 1.12 | F | 4.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 58 | Middlesex University | 10004351 | 1.11 | F | 4.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 59 | Aston University | 10007759 | 1.10 | F | 4.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 60 | University of Durham | 10007143 | 1.05 | F | 4.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 60 | Oxford Brookes University | 10004930 | 1.05 | F | 4.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 62 | University of Derby | 10007851 | 1.03 | F | 4.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 63 | University of the Highlands and Islands | 10007114 | 1.02 | F | 4.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 64 | Southampton Solent University | 10006022 | 1.01 | F | 4.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 64 | Northern School of Contemporary Dance | 10008816 | 1.01 | F | 4.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 64 | Bournemouth University | 10000824 | 1.01 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 67 | University College London | 10007784 | 1.00 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 67 | Newman University College | 10007832 | 1.00 | F | 4.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 69 | University of Wales: Trinity Saint David | 10007858 | 0.99 | F | 3.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 70 | Royal Agricultural University | 10005545 | 0.98 | F | 4.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 71 | University of Chester | 10007848 | 0.97 | F | 3.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 72 | Courtauld Institute of Art | 10007761 | 0.94 | F | 4.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 73 | St Mary's University College | 10008026 | 0.91 | F | 3.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 74 | University of Gloucestershire | 10007145 | 0.90 | F | 4.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 75 | Open University(The) | 10007773 | 0.89 | F | 3.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 76 | University of Keele | 10007767 | 0.88 | F | 3.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 76 | The University of Bolton | 10006841 | 0.88 | F | 3.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 76 | The Robert Gordon University | 10005500 | 0.88 | F | 3.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 79 | University of Stirling | 10007804 | 0.86 | F | 3.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 79 | Leeds Trinity University College | 10003863 | 0.86 | F | 3.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 81 | Liverpool Hope University | 10003956 | 0.85 | F | 3.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 82 | School of Oriental and African Studies | 10007780 | 0.82 | E | 3.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 83 | Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London | 10007775 | 0.80 | E | 3.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 84 | University of Oxford | 10007774 | 0.78 | E | 3.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 84 | University for the Creative Arts | 10006427 | 0.78 | E | 3.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 84 | Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Limited | 10007838 | 0.78 | E | 3.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 87 | Canterbury Christ Church University | 10001143 | 0.75 | E | 3.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 88 | University of Huddersfield | 10007148 | 0.74 | E | 2.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 88 | Teesside University | 10007161 | 0.74 | E | 3.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 88 | Swansea University | 10007855 | 0.74 | E | 2.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 88 | Sheffield Hallam University | 10005790 | 0.74 | E | 3.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 92 | The Queen's University of Belfast | 10005343 | 0.72 | E | 2.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 93 | Anglia Ruskin University | 10000291 | 0.71 | E | 2.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 94 | University of Portsmouth | 10007155 | 0.70 | E | 2.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 95 | Royal Northern College of Music | 10007837 | 0.69 | E | 2.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 96 | University of Brighton | 10000886 | 0.68 | E | 2.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 96 | University of Abertay Dundee | 10007849 | 0.68 | E | 2.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 98 | University of Lincoln | 10007151 | 0.65 | D | 2.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 99 | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh | 10005337 | 0.62 | D | 2.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 100 | Edinburgh Napier University | 10007772 | 0.61 | D | 2.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 100 | Birmingham City University | 10007140 | 0.61 | D | 2.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 102 | University of Northumbria at Newcastle | 10001282 | 0.59 | D | 2.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 102 | University of Bradford | 10007785 | 0.59 | D | 2.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 104 | York St John University | 10007713 | 0.58 | D | 2.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 105 | The Manchester Metropolitan University | 10004180 | 0.57 | D | 2.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 105 | Buckinghamshire New University | 10000975 | 0.57 | D | 2.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 107 | University of the West of England, Bristol | 10007164 | 0.54 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 107 | University of Warwick | 10007163 | 0.54 | D | 2.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 107 | University College Birmingham | 10000712 | 0.54 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 110 | Sruc | 10005700 | 0.53 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 111 | The University of Northampton | 10007138 | 0.52 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 111 | Staffordshire University | 10006299 | 0.52 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 111 | Leeds Beckett University | 10003861 | 0.52 | D | 2.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 114 | Goldsmiths' College | 10002718 | 0.51 | D | 2.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 115 | Institute of Cancer Research: Royal Cancer Hospital (The) | 10003324 | 0.50 | D | 2.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 116 | Stranmillis University College | 10008010 | 0.49 | C | 2.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 116 | Bangor University | 10007857 | 0.49 | C | 2.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 118 | University of York | 10007167 | 0.47 | C | 1.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 118 | University of Sheffield | 10007157 | 0.47 | C | 1.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 118 | Royal College of Art(The) | 10007777 | 0.47 | C | 2.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 118 | Kingston University | 10003678 | 0.47 | C | 2.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 122 | University of Liverpool | 10006842 | 0.46 | C | 1.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 122 | University of Dundee | 10007852 | 0.46 | C | 1.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 124 | University of Ulster | 10007807 | 0.45 | C | 1.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 125 | University of Kent | 10007150 | 0.44 | C | 1.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 126 | University of Central Lancashire | 10007141 | 0.42 | C | 1.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 126 | Glasgow School of Art | 10002681 | 0.42 | C | 1.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 126 | Bath Spa University | 10000571 | 0.42 | C | 1.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 129 | University of Glasgow | 10007794 | 0.41 | C | 1.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 129 | Coventry University | 10001726 | 0.41 | C | 1.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 131 | University of East London | 10007144 | 0.40 | C | 1.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 132 | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | 10007771 | 0.39 | C | 1.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 132 | Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine | 10003270 | 0.39 | C | 1.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 134 | Central School of Speech and Drama(The) | 10007816 | 0.38 | C | 1.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 135 | University of Sussex | 10007806 | 0.37 | C | 1.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 135 | Cardiff University | 10007814 | 0.37 | C | 1.5 | 2023-12-07 |
| 137 | University of Wolverhampton | 10007166 | 0.36 | C | 1.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 137 | Guildhall School of Music and Drama | 10007825 | 0.36 | C | 1.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 137 | Birkbeck College | 10007760 | 0.36 | C | 1.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 140 | The University of West London | 10006566 | 0.35 | C | 1.6 | 2023-12-07 |
| 141 | University of St Andrews | 10007803 | 0.34 | B | 1.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 141 | University of Birmingham | 10006840 | 0.34 | B | 1.4 | 2023-12-07 |
| 143 | University of Strathclyde | 10007805 | 0.32 | B | 1.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 143 | The University of Manchester | 10007798 | 0.32 | B | 1.3 | 2023-12-07 |
| 145 | Ravensbourne Limited | 10005389 | 0.31 | B | 1.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 145 | Prifysgol Aberystwyth | 10007856 | 0.31 | B | 1.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 147 | De Montfort University | 10001883 | 0.30 | B | 1.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 148 | University of Southampton | 10007158 | 0.29 | B | 1.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 149 | King's College London | 10003645 | 0.28 | B | 1.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 150 | Brunel University | 10000961 | 0.27 | B | 1.1 | 2023-12-07 |
| 151 | The University of Buckingham | 10007787 | 0.26 | B | 1.2 | 2023-12-07 |
| 152 | University of Lancaster | 10007768 | 0.25 | B | 1.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 153 | University of Surrey | 10007160 | 0.24 | B | 0.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 154 | University of Wales Prifysgol Cymru | 10008574 | 0.22 | B | 0.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 154 | Heriot-Watt University | 10007764 | 0.22 | B | 0.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 156 | Plymouth Marjon University | 10037449 | 0.21 | B | 1.0 | 2023-12-07 |
| 156 | Norwich University College of the Arts | 10004775 | 0.21 | B | 0.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 158 | The University of Chichester | 10007137 | 0.19 | B | 0.9 | 2023-12-07 |
| 159 | London Business School | 10007769 | 0.18 | A | 0.8 | 2023-12-07 |
| 160 | University of Leeds | 10007795 | 0.17 | A | 0.7 | 2023-12-07 |
| 160 | The University of Westminster | 10007165 | 0.17 | A | 0.8 | 2023-12-07 |
Where the CO2 emissions are given as "?" no result could be found using the Website Carbon Calculator.