The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) discussed residential energy efficiency at the first seminar in a series launched to promote actions towards a regional green economy. The Green Economy seminars will provide a forum for discussing the integration of social and environmental considerations in the lead-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20).

The first seminar brought together experts from the UNECE, Building Research Establishment (BRE) Scotland and the Green Building Council to discuss ways to make housing more sustainable through increasing energy efficiency, environmental performance and climate change resilience. Titled “Greening Homes in the UNECE Region: Case Studies, Actions and Financing,” the seminar took place on 4 April 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Recognizing that residential energy consumption in the UNECE region is about three times the energy used in other homes around the world, the seminar focused in part on how to improve residential energy efficiency. Participants were presented with the Action Plan for Energy Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region, which includes policy areas and actions for scaling-up implementation of energy efficiency actions, and calls for increased private and public sector investment in this area. The UNECE will assist member States in implementing the Action Plan, including through the development of National Action Plans.

[UNECE Press Release] [The Action Plan for Energy-Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region] [Green Homes: Towards Energy-Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region] [Event Webpage]