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Plans to encourage householders to make their homes much warmer and cheaper to run have been announced by ministers.
Consumers will be offered long-term loans to install insulation, solar panels or other green technology, which they can repay through energy bills.
The government wants to save 29% of carbon emissions from UK homes by 2020.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the scheme would lower energy costs but campaigners say not enough is being done in the short term for renters.

Congratulations to YouGen for being nominated for a Green Web Award in the Green Living Advice category. The public can now vote on their favourite and the winners will be announced later this year.

Householders will soon be able to enjoy tax-free returns above 8pc, add to the value of their property and do their bit to help the planet.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Britain would experience the coldest winter in decades as political bigwigs returned from the Copenhagen summit on global warming. But, despite falling temperatures and rising scepticism, it seems householders will soon be able help the environment and gain electrifying returns.

There is still a huge amount to do to win public support for renewable energy, Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, warned this week.
Speaking at the annual parliamentary reception of the British Wind Energy Association in London, on Wednesday, January 26 2010, he said: We have to use the years ahead to fight for this industry, not just because it is in our environmental interest and security interest, but is in our economic interest as well.

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP), Phase-1 and Phase-2 has closed to all new applications for grants for electrical microgeneration as of 5pm, Wednesday 3rd February, which follows the publication of the Government’s consultation on the Feed-In Tariffs (FIT’s)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change today published plans for a scheme to incentivise renewable heat generation at all scales. The Renewable heat incentive scheme (RHI) will be a world first.

The RHI will come into effect in April 2011 and guarantee payments for those who install technologies such as ground source heat pumps, solar thermal hot water systems, biomass boilers and air source heat pumps.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband today announced the feed-in tariff (FITs) levels and also published a blueprint for a similar scheme to be introduced in April 2011 to incentivise low carbon heating technologies. The renewable heat incentive (RHI) will be a world first.

The schemes are designed to bring about a significant increase in the amount of locally produced green energy, as a contribution to the wider shift of the energy mix to low carbon.

The South West RDA and Regen SW have welcomed today's announcement by Gordon Brown and the Crown Estate, of the winning companies selected as development partners for the Round 3 Offshore Wind farms.
This development marks a step-change in the deployment of renewable energy in the UK and represents a great opportunity for the south west.
Two offshore wind farm zones have been awarded in the south west out of a total of nine nationally.

Manchester United defender Gary Neville has applied for planning permission to build a flower-shaped eco-home in Bolton.
Neville, wants to build a four-bedroom, single-story house with a wind turbine, solar panels and ground-source heating.
It will be 8,000 square feet, mostly submerged in the Pennines and covered in a grass roof, making it partially invisible.

A new report has claimed that no-frills airlines cost less for the environment with their low carbon footprint.

Budget airlines create a smaller carbon footprint, according to a new report.

The travel search engine Liligo claims that no-frills airlines cost less for the environment because they pack in more passengers and promote mainly short-haul destinations.

Planes belonging to carriers Ryanair or Eastjet were on average only three years old and already designed for energy-efficiency.