© batmoo

Bill Gates is known for thinking big, so when it comes to green products and technology his opinion is that individual solar panels, energy efficient light bulbs, appliances and hybrid cars are not going to be enough to meet global demand for energy. That's because of the massive demand expected to come from rapidly developing economies going forward. Gates has a novel solution, which involves richer countries funding basic research and solutions which can be deployed in developing nations to produce renewable energy on a large scale, such as deserts filled with solar panels or nuclear power.

Towards his goal of total decarbonization in industrialized nations, Gates puts a lot of faith in solar and nuclear technologies. And he's put his money where his mouth is, investing millions in Seattle-based nuclear firm TerraPower, which designs a reactor fueled b depleted, rather than enriched, uranium. This reactor should produce a thousandth of the waste that a typical nuclear plant would, and run for 50 years without refueling.

© nrdc_media

The UK Government has announced the world's firs renewable heat incentive (RHI) for green products, which is set to provide up to 860 million pounds to promote the use and installation of green heat technologies including solar thermal heat systems and biomass boilers. The goal is to increase the number of industrial, commercial and public sector installations by seven times by 2020 and introduce a full system of RHI payments to households in October 2012. This is expected to strengthen national security by reducing dependence on fossil fuel heating and emissions.

In addition, it should positively impact the environment by significantly reducing carbon emissions, by an estimated 44 million tons by 2020. Because carbon-based heating sources account for around half of all the UK's carbon emissions, moving toward more sustainable options will make a significant improvement over time.

© mark.hogan

Underfloor heat systems are growing in popularity in the US, taking market share from traditional heating systems like central heating. Comparing the benefits of both systems makes it clear that underfloor heating is the more modern an efficient choice.

It can reduce energy bills when installed correctly, and also allow more freedom for design as it eliminates the need for clumsy radiators. In conjunction with super efficient insulation boards underfloor heating can lower your energy bills by up to 30%. This is one of the reasons why it is seen as an Eco friendly home addition as well. The method of radiant heat compared to radiators is a better use of warm air, as it warms from the ground up rather then top down which tends to leave your feet cold.