Thirty-nine, thirty-eight... The countdown to the UK's emission targets for 2050 has begun. By the time the final grain of sand slips through the slim neck of the glass, the UK's homes must be pretty much zero carbon. The rate required to get there is hair-raising: we need to retrofit six homes a minute, reducing the emissions of each property by 60-100%. High hopes are pinned on the Government's Green Deal - a scheme to help home-owners and tenants finance the changes, without racking up personal debt. It works by attaching the loan to the property, rather than the individual, with the cost paid back through the home's energy bill. The one 'golden rule' is that the efficiency savings on the bill must exceed the value of the loan in any given year.
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