| A multimillion pound project has begun to improve the | | | | "Refurbishing these houses with energy efficiency |
| energy efficiency of Britain's homes. | | | | measures is key to ensuring the delivery of |
| The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has been | | | | affordable and sustainable energy to domestic and |
| tasked with developing 'mass-scale' energy efficient | | | | business consumers. |
| technologies for the majority of Britain's 26 million | | | | "With the majority of today's 26 million dwellings |
| homes which will help the nation meet its 2050 | | | | expected to still be in use by 2050, the outputs from |
| carbon reduction targets. | | | | this ambitious project are absolutely critical to |
| ETI is starting the two-year scheme to investigate | | | | understanding how we can help meet the CO2 |
| ways to speed up the refurbishment and retrofitting | | | | reduction targets as set out in the Climate Change |
| of existing residential properties with green | | | | Act." |
| technologies. | | | | Tradesmen will be given the skills on green energy |
| The public private partnership will research how to | | | | courses to retrofit homes with the latest |
| encourage more tradesmen to take green energy | | | | technologies such as air and ground source heat |
| courses in order to have the skills necessary to install | | | | pumps and solar appliances while providing minimum |
| such renewable technology. | | | | disruption to a house. |
| There will also be research into how to stimulate | | | | Chief Construction Adviser Paul Morrell welcomed the |
| demand from homeowners for energy efficient | | | | launch of the initiative claiming that it would make an |
| appliances which will create the challenge of building | | | | essential contribution to achieving the 2050 targets. |
| supply-chains and delivery routes that consumers | | | | He said: "This is way beyond the scale of anything |
| consider trustworthy and affordable. | | | | attempted before, and it calls for a response from |
| Housing is the biggest contributor to Britain's carbon | | | | the industry that addresses that scale whist |
| dioxide emissions so the government views | | | | acknowledging that, to its occupier, every home is |
| retrofitting existing homes as an essential initiative to | | | | uniquely valuable." |
| assist its aim of reducing CO2 by 80 per cent for | | | | The ETI will be led by BRE (Building Research |
| 2050. | | | | Establishment) in partnership with energy companies |
| The Department of Energy and Climate Change has | | | | EDF Energy, Peabody, PRP, Total Flow, UCL and |
| said that a city around the size of Cambridge will | | | | Wates. |
| need to be made energy efficient each and every | | | | Action on CO2 has stated that climate change will |
| week by 2020 in order to meet the 2050 targets. | | | | affect the intensity of extreme weather and have |
| Dr David Clarke, ETI chief executive, said: | | | | potentially disastrous results for Britain. |