Campaigners called for a change in the law today, in order to help homeowners switch to low-carbon heating alternatives to gas and electricity.
British Eco Energy, a green advisory firm, said that installation rates on other energy sources, such as roof-mounted wind turbines, should be helped by UK planning laws. This would tie in with the government's own commitment to reduce Britain's carbon emissions by 20 percent before 2020.
The comments follow recent research from the Energy Saving Trust, which found that almost six in ten UK residents feel that estate agents do not have sufficient knowledge on energy efficiency. A total of 45 percent also indicated that they would appreciate advice on how to make their home more environmentally-friendly to run.
Andrew Moore, managing director of British Eco Energy, said: "I think [wind energy] is the natural way forward. Wind is a natural choice, I think. It's a good fit, but we need to look at the planning permission laws and help people to put them up more quickly or more easily."
He added: "A lot of people are interested in wind turbines but it's still only a small proportion of people that actually go out and do something. The visibility of wind turbines has gone up a lot recently and people have seen them around, and often people buy on the back of seeing them elsewhere."
