PARIS (Reuters) - The French government on Thursday launched a plan to renovate some 500,000 homes every year to make them energy efficient, and cut heat loss, power consumption and carbon emissions - a key pledge among President Emmanuel Macron's electoral promises.
The government will disburse 200 million euros ($244 million) which will help accelerate the plan by training building professionals on new energy efficiency standards and providing aid to families who need to do home renovations, the energy ministry said in a statement.
The government also plans to set aside some 4.8 billion euros to renovate public-sector buildings, including schools and hospitals, to make them energy efficient.
It said the building sector accounts for 45 percent of energy consumption and 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, adding that some 7 million homes were not adequately insulated.
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
