New buildings will have to be designed to cope with the effects of climate change. These include warmer weather in which keeping cool will be important, more extreme and wet weather, and increased subsidence risk. Flood risk areas will increase, requiring measures for both resistance for initial...

The projected growth in households in the UK is a key factor in future domestic energy consumption, particularly electricity consumption. While every household needs a home and its heating, lighting and appliances, increasing incomes have historically led to significantly higher appliance...

The profiles of both existing housing and existing public and commercial buildings show that many have very poor thermal efficiency. The UK housing stock is replaced at a low rate of about 1% a year, so to cut energy use it is essential to address the challenges of existing buildings. This will...

The twin challenges of a lower-carbon future and national energy security are focusing attention on the most effective means of energy generation in the built environment. Efficiency gains are offered by the distribution of heat from community heating and combined heat and power (CHP) plant,...

A warm and adequately-lit home is considered a basic need, together with access to energy-consuming appliances ranging from a fridge to a TV. An underlying tenet of sustainable energy is that such basic needs should be affordably met. Yet low incomes, energy-inefficient housing and appliances...