Green technology could cut buildings' energy needs by 70%, saving carbon equal to a year of US transport emissions

Energy-saving technologies in buildings could save North America as much carbon emissions as the US's whole transport industry emits in a year.

A report by the Commission for Environmental Co-operation (CEC) established that 1,711m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from North America could be saved by 2030 through energy-saving technologies.

The report, which looks at carbon emissions in the US, Canada and Mexico, states that energy-efficient buildings could cut up to 70% of their energy consumption.

However, the CEC report concludes that most developers and homeowners are not prepared to meet the extra cost for installing energy-saving technologies.

Insulating buildings was revealed as the most effective measure to improve energy efficiency. As three-quarters of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built, the method of retro fitting was shown to be most appropriate for the property sector.

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