Kevin McCloud backs green homes campaign

Kevin McCloud, the architect and designer who found fame presenting Channel 4′s ‘Grand Designs’ show, has pledged his support for a campaign to make British homes more energy efficient.

The Great British Refurb campaign, launched this week at the Grand Designs LIVE show in London, is backed by the WWF, the UK Green Building Council, and the Energy Saving Trust.

The idea behind the campaign is simple: encouraging householders to make their homes more energy efficient.

“There are approximately 26m homes in Britain, most of them as well insulated as a rabbit hutch,” said McCloud.

“And those homes are responsible for around 27% of Britain’s carbon emissions.”

Current government legislation gives incentives to developers to ensure that new buildings are well insulated, but does little to help improve the UK’s existing housing stock.

The campaign – which includes a public petition www.greatbritishrefurb.co.uk – will urge the government to redress the imbalance by helping householders pay for green upgrades through low cost loans, subsidies, grants, and tax rebates.

“At the heart of our campaign will be a petition to the prime minister – asking the government to make it easier and more affordable for people to green their homes,” McCloud said.