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Government Plans to Improve Home Heating Efficiency

The government plans for all UK households to have a green makeover by 2030 as part of its plans to cut carbon emissions.

Solar Panels, Biomass Boilers & Ground Sourced Heat Pumps

Financial incentives will be available for householders to adopt low-carbon technologies such as solar panels, biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps.

Cavity wall and loft insulation will be made available for all suitable homes. The plan is to retrofit 400,000 homes a year by 2015.

These measures will be financed by a levy on utility companies. The government wants a quarter of homes (7m) to adopt the schemes by 2020, extending to all UK households by 2030.

Home Heating & Power Efficiency Improvements Reduce Carbon Emissions

The strategy could help cut household carbon emissions by a third by 2020, part of its target to reduce overall UK emissions by 80% by 2050. Currently, homes account for 27% of the UK's carbon emissions through heating and power.

The government minister said: "We need to move from incremental steps forward on household HYPERLINK "http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/energyefficiency" energy efficiency to a comprehensive national plan – the Great British refurb. Wasted energy is costing families on average £300 a year, and more than a quarter of all our emissions are from our homes. Energy efficiency and low-carbon energy are the fairest routes to curbing emissions, saving money for families, improving our energy security and insulating us from volatile fossil fuel prices."

The costs of the home energy efficiency measures would pay itself back over time in reduced bills. Despite that, he said there should be no upfront cost for consumers and part of the consultation will look for ways to finance the strategy - energy companies, local authorities or even private companies might foot the bills for the necessary refurbishments.

According to Greenpeace UK, a programme to upgrade the housing stock alone would require £3.5-£6.5bn per year until 2050. Nathan Argent, head of energy solutions at Greenpeace, said: "Tackling energy efficiency is the fastest way to cut emissions, boost our energy security, revitalise the economy and create tens of thousands of jobs. And, obviously, this will cut household bills too. But this plan needs much more investment right now. The government needs to put their wallet where their mouth is."

Local Community Microgeneration Included

The Decc (Department of Energy & Climate Change) strategy also includes ideas to encourage microgeneration, where homeowners and local communities generate their own heat or power.

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