Plans for "green loans" to help householders make their homes more energy efficient by installing technology such as solar panels and insulation were announced by the Government today.
The scheme will see the loans tied to the house where the eco-measures are installed, so they can be paid back over a long enough period that the savings on energy bills outweigh the payback costs.
The Pay As You Save programme aims to overcome the financial barriers - such as upfront costs - people face in trying to make their homes greener and more energy efficient.
It forms part of a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions from housing by 29% by 2020, which the Government says will also reduce energy bills for householders and boost jobs.
Some 65,000 jobs could be needed in the green homes industry by 2020, ranging from installation and manufacturing of technology including small scale renewables to providing home energy advice.
Officials said there would also be advantages for householders. Installing some measures such as solid wall insulation could cut energy bills by an average of £380 a year.
Under the Pay As You Save scheme, householders would pay back loans in instalments which would be lower than the savings they made from the energy efficiency measures.
With people moving house on average every nine to 12 years, the payback period may not be long enough to allow people to pay back the loans at a rate where they save more than they spend.
So legislation will be introduced to allow the green loans to be tied to the property instead of the person who takes it out.
The strategy, which includes the green loans scheme, aims to improve the energy efficiency of the UK's housing stock - which accounts for a quarter of the country's greenhouse emissions.
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