FORGET the environmental impact of gas-guzzling 4x4s, smoking factories and that most hated target of green campaigners the world over – the aeroplane.
A new report has found that a major contributor to the UK's carbon output is literally right on our doorsteps – with our own homes making up about 27 per cent of all CO2 emissions.
The study, from WWF, argues that the whole of Scotland's existi
ng housing stock could be made eco-friendly by the end of the next decade – but only if the Scottish Government makes a radical policy change to kick-start homeowners into taking matters into their own hands.
The charity wants politicians to at least treble their £1 billion-a-year spend on upgrading housing stock in the UK to make it more environmentally friendly, by increasing the number of grants available to homeowners and introducing incentives such as reduced council tax for greener homes.
It says the move would slash domestic carbon emissions by nearly half within 12 years and 75 per cent by 2050.
But in its How Low? report, published today, the WWF claims that, if these drastic measures are not taken, the Scottish Government will fall well short of its minimum emissions reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050. The tough measures are part of the Climate Change Bill, which is out to consultation.
Elizabeth Leighton, the WWF Scotland footprint policy officer, said: "Nearly a third of Scotland's climate change emissions come from homes, so it is vital we have a wholesale revision of the way in which the environmental impacts of the country's housing stock is tackled."
Scotland has long been heralded as the UK leader in the field of low-carbon new-build homes – but the accolade sounds somewhat less impressive when taking into account the WWF's claims that 99 per cent of the country's housing stock is made up of older properties.
The group is calling for a massive investment which will encourage home owners to tackle a range of green projects including solar water heating, ground source pump heating and household insulation.
The proposals would not only be good news for the environment, but are also set to lead to a cut in bills for householders.
But the figures don't necessarily add up, unless the homeowner is planning to stay in the same house. According to the report, the owner of a sizeable detached home with an oil-fired boiler could save £565 a year – but carrying out the work to cut carbon output would set the property owner back by a massive £12,550, taking them 22 years to recoup the cost.
The Green MSP Robin Harper has spent the past ten years renovating his Victorian home in Edinburgh's Morningside to reduce its carbon output. "Estate agents still believe they cannot sell a house based on its environmental properties – but if they marketed it as being carbon efficient and could save the buyer X pounds a year in bills, that would make people think differently."
But he added that Scotland's high volume of old housing could be problematic even for the greenest of home owners.
He said: "Victorian properties are difficult, but many things can still be done. If your property is in a conservation area as many are, things like external insulation can be a problem."
Some of the incentives mooted by WWF, including a low-interest government loan for people who want to improve the carbon output of their home, have already been tried and tested in European countries such as Germany, where a similar scheme has been successfully in place for about three years.
But others aren't so sure that every homeowner will jump on the bandwagon. Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, believes in a stronger enforcement technique, saying Scotland needs a system "where houses cannot be sold or let if they don't meet minimum energy efficiency standards".
Karl Brookes, a spokesman for consumer body Energywatch, agrees: "You can spend as much as you like on improving energy efficiency and not everyone has a spare few thousand pounds to do that."
But he added: "However, we have found that what is good for the environment is generally good for the consumer."
It remains to be seen whether this is enough to convince every homeowner in Scotland to join in. Optimistic? WWF is.
