Energy efficiency

International attention has focused on ways of reducing or reversing the growth in carbon dioxide emissions, since CO2 is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. The Department of Energy forecasts however, that without special action, CO2 emissions by the UK could increase by 13-42% from 1985 to 2005, and 19-100% by 2020. One response to resolving this conflict is through higher efficiency in the production and use of energy.

This POSTnote looks at the potential for increasing energy efficiency in the UK, the barriers to progress, and reviews some of the options available for improvement.