UK Looks to Weatherize Every Home by 2030

Articles — By forcechange on February 12, 2009 9:45 am

British Energy and Climate Change minister Ed Miliband proposed a comprehensive scheme to dramatically increase the energy efficiency of all UK homes by 2030.  If implemented, the plan could help cut carbon emissions from households by a third by 2020.  Heating and powering of households currently accounts for 27% of the UK’s overall carbon emissions.  Under a very progressive plan, the UK aims to reduce overall emissions by 80% by 2050. 

The weatherization and other efficiency measures proposed on Thursday would retrofit 7 million homes by 2020 and every home by 2030.  All households would be eligible to apply for a loan from energy companies, in order to pay for insulation or renewable sources of heating.  The loan would be repaid from the resulting energy savings and from cash payments households would receive in return for cutting carbon emissions.

Miliband could just as easily have been describing America’s problem when he stated, “We need to move from incremental steps forward on household energy efficiency to a comprehensive national plan.”

Although the U.S. is increasing its attention on weatherization efforts under Obama, and the stimulus bill does include $5 billion to weatherize modest-income homes, there is no comprehensive plan on the table equivalent to that proposed by the UK.

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