Before 1930, most houses in the UK were built with solid brick walls, which have high heat losses and are difficult to insulate. These homes represent nearly one-quarter of the UK housing stock. This paper covers a case-study that shows some of the difficulties to meet the UK government's target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Such a target can only be met with refurbishment of all older properties and even then, energy-savings initiatives are probably not sufficient; integration of

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... enewable energy sources is also necessary. Comparison with refurbishment initiatives in Germany demonstrates the massive investment that needs to take place, and some of the practical limitations. Strategies to limit increasing demand for energy use will be required in order to meet these ambitious targets. The case-study demonstrates the types of practical problems likely to be encountered, but also shows the importance of disseminating the experience gained by pioneers of refurbishing older homes in the UK.