Research by utility company British Gas suggest that improving building regulations to make new homes more eco-efficient will help reduce CO2 emissions by 7 per cent by 2020, but if the Government were to implement simple work on existing properties, by setting national standards for homeowners, it would achieve far more significant emission savings for the nation’s target.

There is a huge scope for improvement, if we consider the average “old” house, which loses approximately 35 per cent of its heat through the walls, 25 per cent through the roof, 25 per cent via doors and windows and 15 per cent through the floor, it is broadly apparent that the UK (a nation of “old” buildings) needs to begin enhancements today.

The Government says that 28 per cent of UK carbon emissions are accounted for by constructing, maintaining and living in our homes. And due to the recent surge in energy costs, the once deemed “too expensive” micro generational modules are expected to make their money back quickly and are now consider perhaps more cost-effective for homeowners.

Even smaller improvements will contribute to the effort. Improved insulation could consist of a 150mm jacket on the hot water tank and loft insulation at least 250mm thick, with wall cavities filled with fibre. The cost will vary depending on house size and labour costs but the Energy Saving Trust, a body that promotes greener living; say £1,800 should be enough to have all this installed in the average home.

Ground Source Heating Pumps (GSHP), a series of pipes filled with water and anti-freeze buried in a trench outside a home, are a great way to harness natural heat. The pumps work by taking ground-sourced heat, which is absorbed by the fluid-filled pipes and is then pumped into the home, where is can heat water and the remaining property. The typical family home can install a GSHP system for £6,000 to £12,000. And due to the 40 per cent heating price rise expected to be in affect by 2009, it could be as little as five years before a GSHP pays back its initial costs.

Solar Panels, located on south-facing roofs, also work to harness heat energy – but this time it is taken directly from the sun. Received via photovoltaic units (PV cells), the electricity is added to your household supply – contributing roughly a third of your daily needs – and on sunnier days, solar energy can provide all the hot water required by a typical household.

British Gas is conducting an experiment to see how energy-saving devices can be retrospectively-fitted to older houses without damaging their integrity or costing their owners too much money. The utility firm have chosen eight properties across the country – each enveloped in a road called Green Street – and granted the owners with £30,000 of equipment, from energy efficient light bulbs to heat pumps.

A report by the Federation of Master Builders says eco-upgrades on existing housing stock could create an industry worth £3.5bn to £6.5bn every year. The author of the report, Gavin Killip of Oxford University, says: “Bringing British homes up to standard are possible. Making low-carbon housing will reduce emissions, be good for business and good for jobs.”