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US government launches $30m energy efficiency research scheme
22/07/10
Edited by Tom Bardsley. The US government is providing up to $30 million (£19.7 million) to support 15 multidisciplinary research teams in developing new ways for builders to improve the energy efficiency of the country's housing.
Under the Department of Energy-led scheme, the partnerships will have 18 months to develop innovative ways of cutting power consumption and carbon emissions.
The scheme is designed to support the Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative, which aims to help local policymakers, communities and the private sector in carrying out home improvements and building upgrades across entire cities.
"Home energy efficiency is one of the easiest, most immediate and most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon pollution and save money on energy bills while creating new jobs," said energy secretary Steven Chu.
In the UK, researchers at Salford University plan to build a fully functioning terraced home inside a three-story testing chamber to look at ways of retrofitting the country's 4.5 million properties built before 1920.
Residential property currently accounts for around a quarter of Britain's carbon emissions, according to government estimates.
