For several years Italy has been paying residents to make their homes ‘greener’ through a government run ‘superbonus’ scheme, in an effort to meet their 2030 goal of cutting carbon emissions by 60%.
As part of the scheme, residents can choose to install solar panels or swap their boiler for an eco-friendly heat pump and claim 100% of the costs back against their tax bill. This allows for a more eco-friendly infrastructure to be built for both new and older houses.
According to the Guardian, since the scheme launched in 2020, over 120,000 applications have been approved.
Other countries such as Denmark have invested around €4billion in green renovation of public housing, aiming to create more energy efficient buildings and reduce CO2 emissions. The Danish Ministry of Housing estimates a reduction of up to 47,000 tonnes of CO2 through this scheme, which is currently still ongoing.