'Green deal' to bring energy efficiency to 14m homes | Environment | guardian.co.uk

'Green deal' to bring energy efficiency to 14m homes | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The greatest refurbishment of Britain's homes since world war two will be revealed on Wednesday by Chris Huhne. The "green deal" aims to retrofit 14m homes to increase their energy efficiency by the early 2020s, according to ministers.

The programme is at the heart of the coalition government's plan to meet the UK's legally binding carbon emission cuts, and focuses on an area seen by many as the cheapest and easiest way to tackle climate change. Of the UK's carbon emissions, 29% come from homes. Improving the warmth of people's homes will also help tackle rising fuel poverty – there are over 25,000 excess winter deaths a year – and the politically toxic issue of soaring home energy bills, driven upwards by rising wholesale gas prices. Fuel poverty campaigners protested on Monday outside EDF Energy's headquarters in London.

The green deal will offer homeowners a loan for insulation and other measures that will meet the so-called golden rule: that the energy savings delivered by the measures will be bigger than the loan repayments.