Small-scale power generation urged

The study by Foresight, the Government's futures think tank, also said urgent action was needed to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings to reduce their carbon emissions.

While targets have been set for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016, an estimated 70% of the housing stock in 2050 will have been built before 2000.

The research suggested annual "MOT tests" for buildings to assess their energy efficiency and make householders and companies think about energy performance regularly.

The Foresight report said the UK was "locked-in" to certain types of centralised energy generation - with most electricity generated by fossil fuel-powered plants and most heating powered by a national gas grid.

But more varied, decentralised, power options were needed - which could range from a solar hot water panel on a house, a combined heat and power system for a block of flats or a larger power plant in a city or rural area close to where the energy would be used, reducing losses in transmission.

Professor John Beddington, the Government's chief scientist and director of the Foresight programme, said the report explored the link between the energy used in the UK and the places in which it was used. He said urgent action needed to be taken if the country was to meet the target to reduce emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050 as outlined by the Government in the Climate Change Bill.

"Homes built in the future will be more carbon neutral, however the vast majority of buildings pre-date our awareness of emissions and climate change - these are where quick-wins can be achieved.

"Bringing older housing stock's energy efficiency up to standard should be a priority - providing the right incentives and support are offered to encourage homeowners, business, housing authorities and local government to change their thinking," he said.

The report sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government also said human behaviour was just as important in cutting emissions as the design of buildings. The Powering our Lives study said people had not yet responded at the scale and pace needed to cut emissions sufficiently from homes and office buildings, and called for incentives to be offered to change people's habits.