The government has been urged to invest in refurbishing existing homes in the UK.

Kevin McCloud, host of Grand Designs, said living in a green home would reduce the country's carbon emissions and help people save money on utility bills.

Therefore, he is calling on the government to encourage energy saving by helping to refurbish existing housing stock across the country.

Mr McCloud commented: "If the government is serious about tackling climate change, help must be given to homeowners on every street in Britain to green their homes."

He added that turning existing properties into green homes could create thousand of new jobs all over the UK.

This, he said, would be an "ideal" way of helping Britain meet its climate change targets and boost the economy at the same time.

I hope Mr McCloud's petition on the issue is met with a positive response when he takes it to Downing Street later this week.

We have seen before that when celebrities such as Jamie Oliver and Joanna Lumley lobby politicians, our elected representatives can suddenly be far more responsive to the mood of the public.