In the South East of England there are more than 6,500 companies which are involved in green business, employing nearly 120,000 people. In total £1,796.6 million is contributed to UK exports from green companies in the South East.

The UK has the sixth largest share of the global green business market at £122 billion. The Government is taking a number of important steps to help Britain capture a greater share of this market. These include the Green Deal, which is expected to support up to 60,000 jobs in the insulation sector alone by 2015.

Maria said: “Climate Week 2013 offers a great chance to look not only at the environmental but also the economic benefits of going green. Businesses across the country, including in Basingstoke, are helping to drive energy efficiency and generate growth and jobs. And through energy efficiency schemes like our Green Deal people will have the chance to save money on their energy bills by reducing the need to spend so much to stay warm.’”