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Government pledges £60m to support energy efficient buildings

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The government is investing £60 million through the Technology Strategy Board to help support the construction industry's energy efficiency plans.

It is expected that an additional £60 million of private sector investment and £30 million in extra funding from other government department and agencies will also be made available in order to boost the design and development of low carbon residential and commercial buildings.

This is in line with the UK's aim to halve building-related carbon emissions by 2025. At present around 50 per cent of the country's carbon emissions come from the construction and operation of the country's building stock, and over the last five years the government has invested heavily in reducing this figure.

With new and existing buildings adjusting to low carbon alternatives, business secretary Vince Cable explained that the economy would receive a much-needed boost.

He explained: "The construction industry contributes almost £90 billion to the UK economy and supports around three million jobs. We are well placed to take advantage of new and emerging energy efficient technologies, commercialise them, and then export them across the world."

David Bott, director of innovation programmes at the Technology Strategy Board, said that only through "innovation on a grand scale" could the UK meet its target of an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050.

However, he explained that new, innovative techniques in the building industry "have achieved often startling carbon footprint reductions and have the potential to help drive economic growth in this sector".

The new funding is to be welcomed by the building industry, as it offers greater support in meeting environmental objectives, while ensuring residential and commercial properties are more energy efficient and cheaper to maintain.

£83 million has already been invested through the Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform investment over the last five years, with further funding only reinforcing the UK's standpoint on low-carbon construction.


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