The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is calling on the government to plan a green homes programme in order to meet the challenge of making all the country's housing more energy efficient by 2020.

CIH wants an initiative similar to the successful Decent Homes programme that will finish in 2010. CIH would like a new programme to set specific targets for making existing homes better insulated and cheaper and more efficient to heat.

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Sarah Webb, CIH Chief Executive, said: "CIH welcomes the package of energy efficiency measures. The government's aims to help every household maximise their energy savings by 2020 need to be embodied in a structured programme, and CIH will be working with partners and government officials to identify the scale of the challenge and what targets can be set.

"It was the CIH who first identified the staggering £19 billion backlog of council house repairs in the 1990s and it was a truly daunting challenge. If we start work now we can have a compelling case ready for the next spending review. By working together to tackle carbon emissions from existing housing we have the possibility to leave an even bigger legacy for the nation."

(CD/JM)